Not being ones to let the cold weather get in the way, last week we embarked on a family day out to the hundred acre wood where the original Winnie-The-Pooh collection of stories were based. Located in Hartfield, Sussex our first stop was ‘Pooh Corner’ a quaint tearoom filled with ‘Pooh-phernalia’ (haha) which served the most amazing dark hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows! Having afternoon tea in a tiny shop filled with toys with a toddler was a bit of a challenge, but the cute Winnie the Pooh shaped sandwiches lured her in to sitting at the table for at least time for us to enjoy a bit of a sit down before she got too distracted! We were lucky to escape with one souvenir each. Violet choosing gorgeous wooden Winnie The Pooh character skittles and Pearl a giant squishy Pooh bear that’s bigger than she is! She seemed to take to the giant Pooh, giving him a cuddle and not wanting to let go so he had to come home with us! We also managed to buy a piece of the original Pooh Bridge, which is now for sale in the shop after major renovations in 1980. A piece of history to keep forever.
After our tea, we headed to find Pooh Bridge to play some Pooh Sticks! The carpark is a short drive from the tearoom. If you don’t get lost like we did, it should only take a couple of minutes to find! We found it eventually and got started on our adventure. It was a really cold day so we wrapped the girls up warm and snug in thick coats, hats and then their cosy toes on the buggy too.
Violet absolutely loved exploring the forest. I think she was still a little too young to understand we were visiting Pooh Bridge, but I think she really enjoyed stamping the crunchy leaves, finding sticks and having a good run in the fresh air. Along the pathway there are lots of things to spot, like Eeyores house, Owls House, Poohs front door, so we ticked each one off as we passed it. I’m sure when the girls are a little older they will find the walk just magical, discovering each sight. It brought back lots of childhood memories for me too as I loved the stories.
We made sure to collect lots of sticks of different shapes and sizes along the way for our game of Pooh Sticks at the Bridge.Finally we made it to the bridge. It’s not far to walk but with a toddler and double buggy I’m sure it took five times as long! We taught Violet to play her first ever game of Pooh Sticks, she seemed to really enjoy it, shouting ‘Ready, Steady…. GO!’ and running to the other side. We headed back to the car as the sun dipped and the temperature fell. Time to get in the warm again. We loved our magical walk at Pooh Corner and will be back in the summer to visit again!
If you fancy a visit, there is more info on Pooh Country here.