On hearing we were pet sitting close to Ashdown Forest, Sheepums suggested we should go to see Winnie-The-Pooh, who has a house in the Hundred Acre Wood near the stream. So, after going back to our last house in Forest Green to pick up a pair of headphones I left behind, we headed toward the Winnie The Pooh tea room in Hartfield village.
The Pooh Corner tea room has a great gift shop offering all sorts of Pooh memorabilia along with cuddly toys and games. As we didn’t fancy the menu for lunch, we walked down the road to get some lunch at the Anchor Inn. Here, an excellent Caesar salad could be nicely washed down with some local ale while enjoying the sunshine in the beer garden.
Lunch gives me and Sheepums an opportunity to consider the best route to Winnie’s house!
After lunch, we headed off on the trail to Winnie’s house. The trail we took is well sign-posted (at least in one place – this was after a mile or so).
Our walk took us across some wonderfully pastoral scenes perfectly representing the English countryside around East Sussex.
Into the woods we go! Following the trail toward Winnie’s home.
Before long, we found Pooh Sticks Bridge, where Winnie The Pooh and Christopher Robin played Pooh Sticks[1]. While we were there, we played a game of Pooh sticks in which Sheepums won of course (something to do with short legs giving him an advantage).
After trying to win at Pooh Sticks and realizing Sheepums was not to be beaten, we headed off in search of Pooh’s house. Luckily for Sheepums, Winnie was at home the day we visited. (Dropping in on friends unannounced is a very British thing).
Winnie the Pooh was delighted to have Sheepums over for toast with honey and tea.
We asked Sheepums what they chatted about, but Sheepums was too full of lovely honey to go into detail.
After tea, we headed home. And Sheepums has a new friend in England!
[1] Pooh sticks is played by first selecting twigs of approximately the same size, one for each player. You then simultaneously drop your sticks on the up-stream side of the bridge. The winner is whoever’s stick emerges from the downstream side of the bridge ahead.