If I think about what really inspired my love of travel the answer would be most definitely be books. I’ve always loved reading about faraway places and wondered what it would be like to go here or there. For the most part I read fiction, so unfortunately many of those faraway places don’t actually exist in the real world.
100 Aker Wood Original Drawing by E.H. Shepard
Imagine my surprise when my friend, and fellow blogger, Clare of Suitcases and Sandcastles wrote all about visiting the REAL Hundred Aker Wood aka Ashdown Forest! I was beyond delighted to discover that the famous forest from the classic children’s tale, Winnie the Pooh, is an actual place!
Having read the books, sung the songs, and watched the Disney movies countless times I’d never given much thought to the idea that the Hundred Acre Wood might actually be real. Now that we knew, we had to go there!
“You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for other’s to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” – Piglet
Deep in the hundred acre wood where Christopher Robin plays
You’ll find the enchanted neighborhood of Christopher’s childhood days
A donkey named Eeyore is his friend and Kanga and little Roo
There’s Rabbit and Piglet and there’s Owl, but most of all Winnie the Pooh.
I don’t know how many times I sang this song to my boys when they were little, but I never dreamed we’d actually visit!
Deep in the 100 Aker Wood…
We visited with Clare and her family over the winter holidays, which provided the perfect opportunity for an adventure in Ashdown Forest. Even better Clare and her boys, along with their dog Toffee, are familiar with the area, and I’m quite sure our visit wouldn’t have been the same without them!
Our first stop was Poohsticks Bridge, and we were all so excited when we discovered Owl’s House on our way. The bridge is a short walk from the car park and once we arrived we stopped to play a game of Poohsticks.
Just beyond the Poohsticks Bridge lies Winnie the Pooh’s house! No one was home when we stopped by, but we noticed that other’s had also come calling.
Winnie the Pooh’s House
Other stops from the stories included Roo’s Sandy Pit, The Enchanted Place, Galleon’s Lap, and Pooh Corner.
The Enchanted Place
Pooh’s Corner is a quaint little tea house and gift shop where one can find all things Pooh related including books, toys and other keepsakes.
We had a most magical day exploring the forest with our friends, the sun wasn’t shining, but we had the best time traipsing through the wood and making excellent use of our wellies!
This & That
The release of the film Goodbye Christopher Robin just prior to our England visit as well as a special Winnie the Pooh exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum seemed like serendipity! What perfect timing!
We learned about the origins of Pooh Bear, his co-creators A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard, and their creative process. Seeing many of the original drawings was really something special.
Younger visitors will enjoy the many interactive parts of the exhibit including a slide and a drawing table.
Tips & Advice:
PoohSticks Bridge Photo taken at the V&A Winnie the Pooh Exhibition
- If you haven’t seen the film Goodbye Christopher Robin I highly recommend, though you should know it’s not for younger children.
- The Winnie the Pooh Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert is on until April 2018.
- Ashdown Forest is located in East Sussex about 90 minutes from London, and can be reached via train, bus, or car. Directions are available via the official website.
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littlefashionadventures
OMG…. didn’t know it existed as well!!! Will definitely have to travel to visit this place. I grew up with the Winnie the Pooh tales and movies, and I’m currently reading the stories to my son. This will make for a great family trip! Thank you so much for sharing your discovery 🙂
Hilary
So fun right! I’m glad you enjoyed the post! I hope to get back in the spring or summer someday!
Sara
OMG. I love this. I didn’t know there was a real place for the 100 Acre Woods. It looks so lovely though, and it seems like the perfect place to visit with kids! Love this so much! #citytripping
Hilary
Thank you! I was excited to discover it too!! It was a wonderful place to explore with the kids!
Katy
Serendipitous indeed! I am sure the whole Pooh experience was enough to warm you up from the inside on a cold winters day. I love that someone has put a door for Pooh in the tree. A lady has done something similar on a tree in the park near us. It’s for fairies though!
Hilary
Between Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter I felt very much like we were on a series of children’s book adventures!
Baby Loves Travel
The exhibition at the V&A sounds great – hopefully we’ll manage to get there before it ends in April… #FarawayFiles
Hilary
I hope you do, but if not you’ll always have Ashdown errr… I mean 100 AkerWood!
beatravelling
Not been much of a Winnie the Pooh fan, but this looks like a nice walk in the woods! #farawayfiles
Hilary
It absolutely was, Pooh Bear or no, there is plenty to explore!
California Globetrotter
If I had little kiddies, I’d definitely visit! I never knew this was real until Clare wrote about it! That’s awesome that you got to have such a wonderful adventure! #FarawayFiles
Hilary
No need for kids if you fancy a walk in the woods! However it is a bit out of the way…
pigeonpairandme
My first ever proper country walk was in the 100 Acre Wood! I should take the kids there (it was pre-children) – it looks lovely in your pics. #FarawayFiles
Hilary
How fun! You should definitely take the kids…. mine loved running through the trails, chasing the dog, and playing Poohsticks! We hope to come back someday in the summer!
Ladies What Travel (@LadiesWTravel)
Aww I can image how lovely that must have been to visit and explore. Somewhere in the UK I’ve yet to go. I need to remedy that! #FarawayFiles
Hilary
It was a lovely time! Definitely a place worth visiting.
Purple John - Shelley Jarvis
This made me feel like a child again. What a fun day. I wish I was there exploring it.
Hilary
It does bring out the kid in you doesn’t it?!
oregongirlaroundtheworld
What a special treat to find the real places really do exist. I never knew! Very interested in the movie and would love to see the original drawings and artworks. Ah Pooh bear, what’s not to love. Fun post Hilary! Thanks for sharing. #FarawayFiles
Hilary
It was such a treat and sharing it with a friend made it extra special! The movie was definitely worthwhile, but also somewhat sad.
Clare Thomson
The Hundred Aker Wood looks even more gorgeous in your photos, Hilary. I was so excited to visit it with you and your boys and it was really cool to spot something even we hadn’t seen before, owl’s house hidden high up in the tree! It’s such a great place for a dog walk and much more fun if you can spot Winnie-the-Pooh places along the way. We’re really excited about visiting the exhibition at the V&A now. #FarawayFiles
Hilary
You’re too kind as the lighting was against us… that really didn’t matter though since we had the best time! Thank you again for being the most amazing guides!
katherinefenech2017
This is so priceless! I never knew that there was an actual 100 Acre Woods! I wish I’d been there now. New plan: persuade the bf that we need to have kids soon so that I can take them to 100 Acre Woods 😉
It’s OK, I’m not actually that crazy. But it seems like another reason to pile onto an already-very long list.
Pooh’s house is great, that door is spot on! #FarawayFiles
Hilary
Visiting Pooh’s house is as good a reason as any of you ask me… however you could go with just the boyfriend! I’m a giant child tho, so don’t take my word for it!
scots2travel
I never knew it was a real place either. And you can play actual pooh sticks! #citytripping
Hilary
We really enjoyed playing the game from the stories! Brought them to life!
fromtoddlertotraveler
I love Winnie the Pooh, and had no idea this existed! I really like that they added Owl’s House and Pooh Corner. I daydream all the time about the places I’ve read about in books. I wish Narnia were real, but I think reading about a place before you visit (fiction or nonfiction) helps me understand the place a little better. #farawayfiles
Hilary
So fun right! We visited Father Christmas this year and the path to his house felt just like Narnia! Yes! Reading the book first is always a great idea!
annette @afrenchcollection
I remember Clare’s article and how much I loved it. Hilary how lovely that you went also. I am putting this on ‘my list’ and telling my daughter, who is currently spending six months in the UK, about the V & A exhibition. My kids were all brought up on Pooh and his friends. She will love the exhibition. #FarawayFiles.
Hilary
It was a really sweet exhibit. Very worthwhile even though my boys are on the older side. Exploring the forest with Clare was a real treat!!
fifi + hop
So cool you got to see the 100 Aker Wood, and with Clare. Like you I never knew it was actually a real place until reading one of Clare’s posts. I bet the boys had the best time! #farawayfiles
Hilary
We all had a wonderful time!
Cathy S.
Looked like everyone was having a great time exploring Pooh’s neighborhood! I loved reading about your visit and looking at your pictures!
Hilary
Thank you! We had a delightful time!
Caity Pfohl | The Pamplemousse Papers
I had no idea this was a real place, either! How cool. I adored these characters when I was little. Eeyore was actually my favorite! I’d love to see that exhibit at the V&A too. Great post and lovely photos! 🙂
Hilary
Thank you! I think I might choose piglet if not for Pooh, who I do think must be my favorite… we have an uncle who we refer to as Uncle Eeyore. Ha ha!
Bryna | Dotted Line Travels
Must be magical to be able to visit a place that you read about in books. And also so great that you got to visit with Clare. I love that travel blogging brings people together!
Hilary
Me too! Making new friends from all over the world has been the unexpected highlight of writing a blog!
Ruth
Oh my, I am screaming with delight right now! My love for travel can be attributed to books too. On top of that, I have loved Winnie the Pooh and all his friends Actually, my first book featured the characters (and I started learning English with it). I carried the book with me when I moved to California. I think I have heard the forest from the book is real but I didn’t remember it. I would love to go. #FarawayFiles
Hilary
This is lovely! I’m so pleased you’ve enjoyed the post!! I hope you get to go someday!!
Danielle
“You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for other’s to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” – Piglet
Is it ok to steal lines from children’s tales to attempt to subtly influence your non-traveling family? Kidding 🙂 I LOVE visiting places from my favorite books or movies and what a lovely spot to spend the day. I love the green and nature and charm (city girl here!). #FarawayFiles
Hilary
I think that’s exactly what you should do with lines from children’s books!! I’m glad you enjoyed! Ps I’m a city girl too!
mymeenalife
It’s awesome that you could visit a place that meant so much to you! And it looks like a lovely place to walk in its own right as well. #FarawayFiles
Hilary
It was both of those things, but the best part was visiting with my fellow blogger and now friend Clare!
Annabel
I’ll definitely be taking my boys here one day. I just showed my 3 year old that tree, he’s desperate to climb it! #FarawayFiles
Hilary
Yes, lots of fun things for the little ones to explore! A very magical place!
Elizabeth (Wander Mum)
How wonderful that you got to catch up with Clare and her family! Love that!! I’ve not yet been to Ashdown Forest – or Goodbye Christopher Robin – so need to add to list! #citytripping
Hilary
We had a wonderful visit and spent two days together exploring her neck of the woods! The movie was really good!
Kathleen (Kat) (@katpegimana)
Just like you, I didn’t know that the forest in Winnie the Pooh series is actually real until I read Clare’s post 🙂 I haven’t seen the movie Goodbye – will catch it – definitely looking forward to it. #FarawayFiles
Four Acorns / Quatre graines de chêne
What a truly wonderful and magical adventure you all had! You definitely couldn’t have found a better guide than Clare and her family, I find it so cool that you guys got to hang out. Fabulous photos, as always.
#FarawayFiles
BattleMum
Can I confess something? I’ve never read Winnie the Pooh, nor seen any of the TV shows. That said I do have the complete book collection in storage to discover with my son when the time is right. How wonderful to be able to visit the actual home of Winnie the Pooh. #farawayfiles