October 14th, 2026, is the 100th Anniversary of A A Milne’s original Winnie-the-Pooh book being published.
The centenary gives tour operators a ready-made story. Winnie-the-Pooh is known in virtually every market, so it needs no explaining to guests. Now is the time to build Ashdown Forest into 2027 programmes before brochures are finalised.
The stories of Winnie-the-Pooh were famously set in the Ashdown Forest and were written by AA Milne for his son Christopher Robin. Pooh’s forest and the Ashdown Forest are identical, although place names have been changed. Five Hundred Acre Wood is ‘Hundred Acre Wood’, Gill’s Lap is ‘Galleon’s Lap’ and you will find ‘North Pole’ and ‘Gloomy Place’ in Wren’s Warren Valley. The famous ‘Pooh sticks bridge’, lies on the northern edge of the forest near Chuck Hatch. A map to follow the trail is available from the Ashdown Forest Centre and at the shop Pooh Corner in the village of Hartfield all kinds of Winnie-the- Pooh related products can be found.
Poohsticks Bridge is an easy, memorable activity for families, multi-generational travel and literary tours. Hartfield is small and walkable, so Pooh Corner combines shopping and refreshments in one stop.
To commemorate the 100th Anniversary new walking trails have been created across the Ashdown Forest so visitors can enjoy the area which is so familiar to readers of Winnie-the-Pooh stories. The new trails suit guided or self-guided walks of varying lengths. Cornwall DMC can arrange private guides, storytelling along the route and photo stops, as a half-day, full-day or multi-day South East England itinerary.
Ashdown Forest is only 48km south of London in East Sussex, this open heathland is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it covers an area of 2500 hectares which is home to many species of rare plants, birds, deer and insects. The highest ridge on the Forest is 223m above sea level and the highest point is Crowborough Beacon at 225m.
Just 48km from London, the Forest works as a day excursion or a stop between London and the South Coast, Kent or Sussex, with no long transfers.
The Forest Centre
The Ashdown Forest Centre is an information point for visitors and residents, it is also the office for the Conservators of the Forest, and is situated at Wych Cross, Forest Row. As well as information and maps in the information barn there is usually an exhibition on display of local artists, photographers and crafts people and local history societies.
Nutley Windmill
Nutley Windmill stands on the beautiful Ashdown Forest just north of Nutley; it was built in the 16thC during the reign of Henry VIII. The windmill is the best preserved in Sussex and is only one of 5 left in the country built in the rare ‘open-trestle post mill’ design, this means that the whole body of the mill can be rotated on its central post to face the wind. The windmill has been fully restored to working order and is open to the public on certain days.
Cornwall DMC can provide a fully costed, sold itinerary featuring Ashdown Forest, with guides and transport included.
Ready to take your guests into the Hundred Acre Wood? Get in touch with Cornwall DMC and we’ll create a sold itinerary tailored to your clients.
