Sun 31 Aug, 2008: 11 miles, ascent approx 250m (Map: OS Explorer 135)
Other titles for this post could have been "No Country For Soft Toys" or "The Car Parks of Ashdown Forest"(there are quite a few).
Another wet Sunday morning, but forecast to get better later (whatever that means), also a lazy start, but eventually I pootled up beyond Uckfield in East Sussex, arriving at my starting point, King's Standing car park in Ashdown Forest at about noon. The car park (not to be confused with the multitiude of other car parks in the area) is a couple of miles north of Duddleswell and about 4 miles south of Hartfield on the B2026, very close to its junction with the B2188.
Today's walk was devised from bits of a few other walks in this area to give a good flavour of Pooh Country while avoiding the village of Hartfield and its Pooh-tat shops.
Leaving the back of the car park I crossed some rough bits to join the Vanguard Way going NW across the B2188. After about a mile of broad track almost parallel to the B2026, the VW eventually crosses this road. After crossing, I turned roughly N on a track that's not on the map, passing just to the W of the trig point at Gills Lap - which AA Milne immortalised as Christopher Robin's "Galleons Lap". Continuing N in the rain I passed to the W of a quarry ("Sandy Pit"?) and then arrived at the AA Milne/EA Shepard memorial (the "Enchanted Place") with its view N and W over and beyond the Forest.
Still heading along the same track (roughly N) and down hill, the houses at Jumper's Town came into view, and I picked up a track heading slightly E of N (also not on the map), to arrive at the minor road that runs W from the B2026 nearby. This was all a bit of a wiggle - as I've found before what is on the ground (tracks) and what is on the map (not much) doesn't always quite correspond in these parts.
I followed this road and then a smaller one going just N of W; to try and pick up the footpath near Podlea Flock Farm that runs N to Marsh Green. Anyway, the path eluded me, so I retraced my steps part way and took the road roughly N and then NW to Marsh Green. Here I found my next path going NW via Fincham Farm to the curiously-named Cabbagestalk. After a short dog-leg west on the B2110 I continued N by footpath across Parrock Lane towards the disused railway line. It had almost stopped drizzling when I spotted a fallow doe and young ahead of me on the track, but they sensed me and were gone in an instant.
Soon I saw my first mountain (not) biker whizzing past ahead of me on the Forest Way (that's the disused railway line). After a drizzly snack (pasty), I joined the FW going roughly NE towards Hartfield. The sun was coming out as the rain stopped and I wandered along the old track, which seemed quite narrow, thinking of steam trains passing under the overhanging trees.
After about a mile of sun-dappled track, I reached a bridge, where a path passes beneath. Dropping down the embankment, I turned south on the bridleway towards Newton's Hill and the B2110 again.
A 100-yard dogleg NE on the road brought me to the footpath going roughly S and signposted for the infamous Pooh Sticks Bridge.
After its initial run S, this path bends roughly SW past Gallipot Hill Farm and then down hill across fields to join a bridleway also running SW. Feeling welcomed by numerous "no picnic-ing" signs I marched onwards towards the eponymous bridge without tarrying amidst the families chucking twigs as per the prescribed ritual (been there, done that).
Within half a mile I rejoined the road briefly (crossing my outward path) before picking up th footpath running SE. Not focuing on the nav in hand I missed my turning to the NE and arrived at Chuck Hatch car park. Steps retraced, I picked up the footpath wanted going NE through Posingford Wood and then SE across a horsey-type place to hit the B2026 again. A brief bit of road NE took me to a footpath down and SE then E into Five Hundred Acre Wood ("Hundred Aker Wood"), where I joined the Wealdway S and the SW up through the wood for a mile or so and the on across open-ish heath for another mile in the same direction (and still mostly upwards).
Somewhere to the west and down below me at this point was the fabled location of the "north pole" as found when CR and Pooh went on an "expotition". Eventually, this path crosses the VW, which I rejoined to retrace my outward path back to the car, via an ice cream van.
The walk had ended up being a tad longer than expected because of my detours, but the rain did stop. "Tiddley Pom" as Piglet once sang.