i've put together some useful addresses, telephone numbers and other information for those interested in visiting ashdown forest. if you are calling from the US, drop the 0 from the beginning of these phone numbers, and dial 011-44 first to place an international call to the UK. you can also check out jmilne's cotchford farm page for more information. if you happen to visit hartfield and ashdown forest, and you find any new information, please email me and let me know - i would really appreciate it!
note: it's been quite a few years since i visited ashdown forest, and i live halfway across the world, so most of my first-hand information is far, far, far out of date. everything marked with an asterisk has been confirmed as of august 2003. anything else, well, you'll have to do some googling of your own.
* pooh corner
high street
hartfield
east sussex TN7 4AE
tel: 01892 770456
fax: 01892 770872
WWW: http://www.pooh-country.co.uk/
email: shop@pooh-country.co.uk
pooh corner is a shop in hartfield that sells a wide variety of pooh gift items - books, figurines, clothes, you name it. they sell a simple map that will show you how to walk or drive to poohsticks bridge and galleon's lap. they have an excellent mail order catalogue, too, with lots of classic pooh merchandise.
* ashdown forest information centre
wych cross
forest row
east sussex RH18 5JP
tel: 01342 823583
WWW: http://www.eastsussexcc.gov.uk/ashdown/icentre.htm
the conservators of ashdown forest publish a series of ashdown forest brochures, including one called walk no. 3: two pooh walks that shows how to get to some more obscure pooh sites, such as eeyore's sad and gloomy place and the north pole. they also sell a nice, color map of the entire area. you can either visit the centre in person or send them a cheque and order the brochures via snail-mail.
* wealden district council / sussex country information centre
(north)
Wych Cross
Forest Row
East Sussex RH18 5JN
Tel: 01825 713862
Fax: 01825 713812
WWW: http://www.sussexcountry.co.uk/
Email: ticnorth@wealden.gov.uk
* tunbridge wells tourist information centre
The Old Fish Market
The Pantiles
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN2 5TN
tel: 01892 515675
fax: 01892 534660
WWW: http://www.visittunbridgewells.com/
email: touristinformationcentre@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
east grinstead tourist information
east grinstead library
west street
east grinstead
west sussex RH19 4SR
tel: 01342 410121
fax: 01342 410262
WWW: http://www.egnet.co.uk/
email: egtourism@netscapeonline.co.uk
simon kerr is the tourist information officer for east grinstead, and his home village is hartfield. his office is a good starting place for people looking for general information about the ashdown forest area. he can be contacted at the above email address.
for info on guided walks to pooh country:
enchanted places of sussex
old school cottage
ashurst wood
west sussex RH19 3RX
tel: 01342 823 741 (ask for judith)
as i am a poor, vehicle-impaired student, i have focused here on how to get to the forest via public transportation. from london charing cross or waterloo east stations, catch a train to the town of tunbridge wells; it will take about an hour. from the tunbridge wells train station, take the #291 local bus, which runs between tunbridge wells and east grinstead. note that the #291 no longer runs on sundays. ask the driver to let you off at the high street hartfield stop. it's about 10 miles. you can pick up a bus schedule at the tunbridge wells tourist information centre or view it online at the metrobus web site: http://www.metrobus.co.uk/rte291.html.
* national rail timetables & enquiries
tel: 08457 48 49 50
WWW: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
* metrobus
Wheatstone Close
Manor Royal
Crawley
West Sussex RH10 9UA
Tel: 01293 449195
WWW: http://www.metrobus.co.uk/
when i was in hartfield i stayed in the stairs farm house bed and breakfast, which was right across the street from the pooh corner shop. down the road a little ways, the anchor pub also had a few rooms available. if you are travelling by car, you could alternatively stay in tunbridge wells or east grinstead (both much bigger towns than hartfield) and drive to the forest instead. the wealden district council publishes an accomodation brochure; you may also wish to contact the east grinstead or tunbridge wells tourist information centres for more help with accomodation.
* stairs farm house and tea room
high street
hartfield
east sussex TN7 4AB
tel: 01892 770 793
contact ... at ... mrow ... dot ... net
28 august 2003