Pooh Country

A. A. Milne, who wrote Winnie the Pooh, set his stories in and around a village, named Hartfield, which is in East Sussex, southern England.

Winnie the Pooh was first conceived when a soldier, Harry Colebourn, adopted and brought a black bear cub to England from Winnipeg, Canada, after its mother had been killed by hunters He bought the bear from the hunter which killed its mother, and took it to London Zoo for a long loan. Christopher Robin favoured this bear and spent many an hour in the cage, playing with it. The bear was named Winnie, as a shortened version of the place whence he came. So, the bear became Christopher Robin's inspiration for calling his own teddy bear Winnie.

I live in West Sussex and Hartfield is not too far away, about forty-five minutes drive, so my grandchildren often ask to go over to Pooh Country. When you arrive in the village, there is a shop called Pooh Corner, which sells all sorts of Pooh souvenirs, ornaments, colouring and notebooks, pencils, pens, trinkets, soft Pooh toys; just about everything you can think of to do with Winnie the Pooh and Friends. Down a few stairs, there is a small cafeteria where you can buy a cup of tea and a light snack, as well as ice cream in cones with teddy bears on them. You can also sit out in the garden, at picnic tables to drink your tea and eat your ice cream.

In the shop, you can buy Pooh Sticks, little sticks for racing under the bridge as the Pooh characters did in the books. Then, taking your sticks with you, walk a little way down the street and you come to some woods. You can walk right through the woods, to a little lane beside a farm, which leads way down into the valley, and Pooh Bridge. This is truly a magical place in May, when all the bluebells are out in the woodland beside the track, and bluebells and wood anemones on the banks of the stream. Adults and kids alike crowd the bridge, Pooh Sticks in hand, toss them into the water, then run to the other side, to see whose comes through first. This is a game that Christopher Robin, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and co. used to play!

I've even seen American tourists wandering down with their Pooh Sticks and a large, soft Pooh Bear under their arms. It's a really magical place, and you can see what inspired A.A. Milne to write the stories. On the opposite side of the road to the woods you first walk through, is expansive heathland and 'On The Forest', as well as other areas from the Milne books. There is clearing on this heath, where you can stay and have a picnic, and a wide track, which in parts, goes through the forest, with trees either side. The scenery is beautiful from the heathland. You can see all around, trees, and hills... this is truly beautiful.

Up on the forest, close to Galleon's Lap and Roo's Sandy Pit, lies Enchanted Place, which is where Milne spent most of his time dreaming and writing notes for his stories. Christopher Milne chose this site to place a memorial in honour of his father, and E.H. Shepherd, illustrator of the Pooh books, which was unveiled on 20th September, 1979. You will also find Hundred Akre Wood and Pooh's North Pole where he went with his friends on an 'Expotition', in this great expanse of countryside.

There are so many places to visit here and it truly takes you back to your childhood days... a magical place to be sure.