Tourist information about Ashdown Forest

If you're planning a trip to England, and intend to visit some Pooh sites, then make sure to plan ahead and get some information first!

Well, the main attraction around Cotchford Farm is Ashdown Forest (and the Five Hundred Acre Wood next to it). These are, respectively, the Forest and the Hundred Acre Wood in which the Pooh stories take place. And if you want information about Ashdown Forest, the first people you ask should be the Conservators of Ashdown Forest.

The Conservators of Ashdown Forest
The Ashdown Forest Centre
Wych Cross
Forest Row
East Sussex RH18 5JP

Telephone: 01342 823583

If you're calling from outside the U.K., you'll need to replace the first zero with 011-44. The Centre is open weekends and bank holidays 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Mondays-Fridays, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m, April 1 - September 30.

This group produces a series of small brochures which show various walks through Ashdown Forest. One of particular interest highlights a walk to Pooh's Enchanted Place and the North Pole. You can download a PDF version of this walk and view it with Adobe Acrobat or any other PDF viewer.

If hiking through Ashdown Forest (one of England's largest forests, and once royal hunting grounds) is your thing, then you're going to want to purchase an Ordnance Survey map. Specifically, Explorer Map 18—Ashdown Forest. This map is incredibly detailed, showing land elevations, all the roads in the area, and even individual farms. Mine cost a bit over 5 pounds (which equates to about $8-9, last time I checked) but is well worth the expense. However, if you don't need quite that level of detail, and are on a budget, the Ashdown Forest Centre should be able to provide you with a reasonably good map that'll do the job. If you want to explore more of Ashdown Forest, but prefer to trek along walks created for your benefit, you might want to check out a book called Walks on Ashdown Forest and Around Tunbridge Wells, but Hilary Longley-Cook. This book contains 25 individual walks throughout the entire Forest.

Another good source of information is the Ashdown Forest Tourism Association. They have a lot of information on places to stay and other attractions in the area, as well as additional background on the Forest.

For general information, contact the British Tourist Authority, 551 Fifth Ave., Suite 701, New York, N.Y. 10176, telephone (800) 462-2748

If you are going to be in the Cotchford Farm area, make sure to stop at a store called Pooh Corner. This shop contains a large amount of merchandise associated with Pooh, but it probably also your best stop for information on the area. You should be able to pick up books, maps, and other guides to help you find all those special spots that A.A. Milne wrote about. Robin Symington, Secretary of the East Sussex Tourist Attractions Association was kind enough to provide me with an address for the store:

Mike Ridley
Pooh Corner
High Street
Hartfield, East Sussex TN7 4AE
United Kingdom

Telephone: 01892 770456
Fax: 01982 770872
WWW: http://www.pooh-country.co.uk/

If you're calling from outside the U.K., make sure to replace that first zero with a 011-44.

Back to Cotchford Farm and Surrounds.
Back to The Page at Pooh Corner.