The Pooh Sticks Bridge – where Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin played in the AA Milne books – is in Ashdown Forest, East Sussex. Here’s how to get there and what NOT to do.
What is the Pooh Sticks Bridge?
The Pooh Sticks Bridge is the real life bridge that AA Milne used as inspiration in his Winnie the Pooh books. It was near his family home in Hartfield, East Sussex, and he adapted the real bridge in Ashdown Forest to become the fictional bridge where Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin play pooh sticks.
For those unacquainted with pooh sticks, it’s a simple game where two players each throw a stick in the stream, and see which stick emerges first from the other side of the bridge.
Buy the Winnie the Pooh books
It makes sense to read the Winnie The Pooh books before you visit. You can buy them on Amazon, of course. But I personally use and recommend World of Books, which sells second hand books a lot cheaper.
I get a small commission from anything bought through those links. Admittedly, it’s a smaller commission from World of Books, but I’d still go through them as first choice.
Where is the Pooh Sticks Bridge?
The Pooh Sticks Bridge is in Ashdown Forest, about a mile south of Hartfield. If coming by car, the best plan is to drive to the Pooh Car Park. It’s on Chuck Hatch Lane, just off the B2026.
From the Pooh Car Park, it’s a half mile walk to the Pooh Sticks Bridge – it should take about 15 minutes.
The path is reasonably well formed, but uneven in places and can be squelchy after rain.
Key visitor information for the Pooh Sticks Bridge
The absolutely critical thing to know about the Pooh Sticks Bridge if walking from the Pooh Car Park is that it is not the first bridge you will cross.
The first bridge is tiny and unattractive, covering a black pipe that acts as a culvert.
It’s the second, prettier bridge you want.
Is the Pooh Sticks Bridge the original bridge?
The Pooh Sticks Bridge in Ashdown Forest today is not the original bridge visited by AA Milne. That was called the Posingford Bridge, and was replaced and renamed in 1979. Milne’s son Christopher Robin did the honours at the reopening.
However, that replacement bridge became unsafe, and had to be replaced in the late 1990s.
The current bridge, however, is in the same place as the original, and is deliberately made in the same style.
Can you play pooh sticks at the Pooh Sticks Bridge?
It is fine to play pooh sticks at the Pooh Sticks Bridge, and thousands of people do so every year. However, a sign asks visitors to use sticks that are already on the forest floor rather than breaking them off trees.
How much does parking cost at Pooh Car Park?
Parking at the Pooh Car Park costs £2 for up to one hour, £2.50 for up to two hours, £4 for up to four hours and £5 for the day.
However, these fees apply to all the car parks in Ashdown Forest. You can therefore visit the Pooh Sticks Bridge, then go to a different car park without paying any extra. This is handy for those wanting to see the Enchanted Place, AA Milne Memorial and Heffalump Trap from the Gills Lot Car Park a mile to the south.
Getting to the Pooh Sticks Bridge using public transport
It’s not easy to get to the Pooh Sticks Bridge via public transport, but it is possible. Hartfield is on the 291 bus route from Crawley to Tunbridge Wells. In Hartfield, the Pooh Corner tearoom/ museum has a walking route to the bridge on the sign outside. Note that this doesn’t head down the B2026, which is pretty dangerous to walk along.
From Hartfield, the walk takes around 40 minutes.
Things to do near Hartfield
Other attractions relatively near Hartfield include Eridge Rocks, Hever Castle and Sir Winston Churchill’s former home, Chartwell.
Elsewhere in Sussex, you can try Norman Conquest history at Battle Abbey, beach time at Camber Sands and medieval architecture at Bodiam Castle.
