It's not just bears of little brain who have trouble finding Ashdown Forest
If you go down to these woods today, you'll have a job locating just where Christopher Robin played Poohsticks. Kieran Falconer explains why the locals are unhappy about cashing in on AA Milne's creation, and why that's a great shame for the rest of us
Sunday, 19 August 2007
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Pooh is a dirty word in Ashdown Forest. As part of the High Weald, which stretches between Horsham and Tonbridge, across Sussex and Kent, this ancient forest is best known as the birthplace of that honey-loving teddy Winnie the Pooh. Part of a recent £2m lottery grant will improve access to the region, and cover a range of projects. The trouble is that some locals don't want you to visit.
Ashdown Forest, at 10 square miles, is the largest area to which the public has access in the South-east. It is a forest in the true sense, a place designed for hunting. Monarchs and nobles would once pop down for a spot of deer-stalking in their down time. Later it became the focus for ironworks – the first blast furnace operated here.
By the Middle Ages it had become a heath – and, since lowland heath is rarer than rainforest, it is important that it is maintained as such. Bracken and trees can quickly overrun such habitats, resulting in the loss of a diverse plant life and the animals that depend on it.
This means that the rangers have to cut down trees. "That is like lighting a fuse with most people," says Hew Prendergast, superintendent of the Ashdown Forest Conservators. "Any attempt at cutting down trees seems incredibly wrong to most people, but if we don't we lose the heathland within a very short period." The main objectors appear to be people who don't want their view spoiled.
Mr Prendergast takes me to the Forest Centre (a mile east of Wych Cross). I honestly wouldn't have known it was there – although, after years of struggling with local groups, he has finally been allowed to put up a sign telling people where it is. Frankly, this is barmy, but that is the extent of the opposition he faces to encouraging people to visit.
The centre is a fine old barn but it is not big enough to handle the exhibits on the history, wildlife and archaeology of the forest. Nineteenth-century photographs show the traditional tradesmen and landscape of the heath – much barer then than it is now. Lottery money means that a teashop, toilets and space can be added to the barn.
A minute section in the centre is devoted to Pooh and that spurs on my pilgrimage to where AA Milne lived. It's a private house now, in the village of Hartfield – it's also where the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones met his death.
On a cheerier note, I pop over to where Christopher Robin (Milne's son) would buy sweets – also in Hartfield. It is called Pooh Corner and is home to every piece of Pooh merchandise imaginable.
The village has a traditional pub, The Hay Waggon Inn, and from there I visit Poohsticks Bridge with Linda Johnson, who owns a llama park in Wych Park. Ms Johnson is chair of the Ashdown Forest Tourist Association, a body of businesses promoting the area. But as my search for the bridge begins I can tell that promotion is not what everybody wants.
Poohsticks Bridge car park has a discreet sign pointing down a lane to the bridge but, as this path soon comes to a junction, I'm flummoxed. There is no marker and without Ms Johnson's guidance I would be lost. If I were three years old, clutching my sticks, I would be bitterly disappointed. Even if you can find it, there's no indication of how uneven the terrain is or that it's about a mile away. Ms Johnson says: "Imagine if you had a couple of toddlers coming down here. It's no pot of honey."
It seems extraordinary that something with such status should be so hidden away. When we do find it, there is a tiny sign telling me I'm on the right bridge. I am calmed by massacring Ms Johnson at Poohsticks: 3-0.
Again, protests against signs that will encourage tourism result in a lot of confused tourists. Rather than relying on a lottery grant, Ashdown Forest should be a gold mine, paying for its own conservation in Pooh tourism.
Ashdown is only part of the High Weald, an "area of outstanding natural beauty". I meet Janina Holubecki, the interpretation officer, to hear about the lottery projects. We walk from Friends Clump – a copse designed to be a landmark for those caught on the heath in poor weather. Despite the moisture in the air, the views of the North Downs are stunning. "I want to make the countryside relevant because many people aren't just interested in looking at landscape for its own sake," she says.
There are about 30 different projects in the planning stage, many of which are to encourage access. I can't see it becoming too crowded. On our five-mile walk we saw no one, which, when you consider that this is an hour away from London, is magical.
How to get there:
Ashdown Park Hotel (01342 824988; ashdown park.com) offers bed and breakfast in a double room, from £180 per night.
Further information:
Ashdown Forest Conservators (ashdownforest. org). Ashdown Forest Tourist Association (ashdown forest.com). High Weald (01580 879500; highweald.org). Wych Park Llamas (01825 712040; llamapark.co.uk).
