Ashdown Forest
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Forest Row
What it’s like
Open heathland and woodland trails where kids can hunt for Winnie-the-Pooh spots, spy grazing ponies and just walk for hours, free to get in.
This is proper wandering country, not a single loop with a car park at the end. Trails cross heathland and woodland, and the whole place doubles as the real setting behind Winnie-the-Pooh, so there's a decent bit of pointing and "is that the actual bridge" as you go (Pooh Sticks Bridge itself is just off site near Chuck Hatch, reachable from Pooh car park). Under-fives get their own thing too, with Mini Explorers sessions built around outdoor play and nature discovery rather than a set walk.
Exmoor Ponies graze the forest all year, with cattle and sheep joining them from spring to autumn, and they roam freely in the grazing enclosure. There are nature activity events and craft workshops too if you want more structure than just a walk. Getting in costs nothing, which is rare for a day out with this much ground to cover, though you do pay for parking across the 50-odd car parks on site.
Food-wise there's a café at the Forest Centre doing drinks and cakes, ice cream vans at the busier car parks, and a scattering of proper cafés nearby including the Duddleswell Tea-Rooms and Pooh Corner in Hartfield. Dogs are welcome on leads, and between March and August they need to stick to the paths for ground-nesting bird season, which is worth knowing if you're bringing one along with the kids.
Wheelchair and buggy access is patchy, honestly. Most of the forest is bumpy or steep, but there's a flat trail along the old WWII airfield from Long car park, and disabled parking with flatter terrain at King's Standing and Broadstone. There's also a Changing Places toilet at the Forest Centre, which not many outdoor spaces bother with.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Under-5s with Mini Explorers sessions, and older kids keen on Pooh trails
- Parking
- 50 car parks on-site. Disabled parking at King's Standing and Broadstone
- Food
- Café at Forest Centre with drinks and cakes
- Wheelchairs
- Limited access: flat trail from Long car park, disabled parking at King's Standing and Broadstone, Changing Places toilet facility available
- Dogs
- Welcome on leads, bag waste, stay on paths March-August for ground-nesting bird season
- Getting there by bus or train
- Limited bus service to Forest edge
- Parking is charged and spread across around 50 separate car parks, so pick one near the trail you want
- There's a Changing Places toilet at the Forest Centre, useful if standard accessible loos aren't enough
- 2026 brings a free Winnie-the-Pooh centenary weekend on 18 and 19 July, but you need to book tickets ahead
- Coaches and larger minibuses should use Broadstone car park rather than the smaller ones
Plan your visit
Is it free to get in?
Yes, the forest itself is free to visit every day. You do pay for parking though, across the on-site car parks.
What are the opening hours?
The forest itself is open every day with no set hours. The Information Barn and café run 9am to 5pm weekdays, 4:30pm finish on Fridays, and 11am to 5pm at weekends and bank holidays.
Is it buggy or wheelchair friendly?
Patchy. Most trails are bumpy or steep, but there's a flat stretch along the old airfield from Long car park, and disabled parking with flatter terrain at King's Standing and Broadstone.
Can we bring the dog?
On a lead, and you'll need to bag their mess. Between 1 March and 31 August dogs have to stay on the paths for ground-nesting bird season.
What is there for a toddler?
Mini Explorers sessions are aimed at under-fives, built around outdoor play and nature discovery rather than a long walk.
Where can we get food?
There's a café at the Forest Centre for drinks and cakes, ice cream vans at the busiest car parks, and nearby cafés like Duddleswell Tea-Rooms and Pooh Corner in Hartfield.
Will we see animals?
Exmoor Ponies graze all year and cattle and sheep join them from spring to autumn, roaming freely in the grazing enclosure. Deer, foxes and adders are possible but not guaranteed, and are more likely spotted somewhere quiet.
How do we get there without a car?
There's a limited bus service to stops on the edge of the forest. By car it sits south of Forest Row and west of Crowborough.
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