Ashdown Forest, East Sussex - Winter Walk - Circular

Parking - Gills Lap Car Park, Uckfield, TN22 3JD

Route Distance - 2.9 Miles

Time Taken

Walking/Viewing - 2hr 40mins

Lunch - 15mins

Removing things from shoes - 6mins

Date Walked - 10 Jan 2026 - 12:56 pm - 3:57 pm

The route we took is mapped here using the OS Maps App - https://explore.osmaps.com/route/30370654/neurotraverse--ashdown-forest-circular?lat=51.07081&lon=0.09027&zoom=13.6861&style=Standard&type=2d

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What is Ashdown Forest famous for?

If the name rings a bell, it could be because this forest is the real-life Hundred Acre Wood, the home and adventure playground of A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and friends.

In honour of this, the forest is full of little curiosities and attractions for fans of the honey-guzzling bear to enjoy along the "Winnie-the-Pooh Trail" that runs through the heart of the forest.

It is worth pointing out that we did not take Winnie's route on this occasion. We instead opted for a more exploratory route around the outskirts of the forest.

It is a beautiful location with life-affirming views everywhere you turn, especially when you hit sunset as we did on our return to the car. We do intend to go back in the summer, perhaps to do the actual trail, but in the meantime, here is how our neurodiverse brains found it;

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Getting there

I don't have extensive knowledge of the area, but I would safely assume the location is only reachable by car (or foot if you are a very keen hiker type!) I won't document the whole journey, as I doubt many of you will be travelling from my house, but a few trigger warnings as you get nearby.

Trigger Alert - Traffic / Unexpected Stopping

Driving down Hindleap Lane, we came to a junction with the A22, where we sat in traffic for around 20 minutes. This was on a Saturday afternoon, and there were no roadworks or breakdowns, so this looked to be usual traffic for this area.

Trigger Alert - Ear Popping

As we drove up Kidd's Hill, the elevation caused ear popping all around. Bring some boiled sweets if anyone on the trip is sensitive to that.

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Arrival

We started our route at Gill's Lap Car Park. The car park was spacious, in every sense, and although far from empty, it was not stressful to navigate or get parked up. Payment was made via the Horizon, RingGo or JustPark apps. There were no pay machines.

Positive Note - No Odour

The English countryside can be forgiven for smelling of cow, or more populated areas smelling of industry. I am pleased to report that this route had no strong or triggering odours. We didn't even pass any strong perfume/aftershave wearers, if you city folk can imagine such a thing!

As we commenced our walk, we were comforted by the sight of an immediate bench. Now, not even someone as unfit as I needs a sit-down that soon into a walk, but it felt like a good omen that benches would be dotted along the way.

Trigger Alert - Mud

I will put this here as an alert for the whole route, but to be fair to the ground, it is January in the UK, what chance does it have! I opted for hiking boots at the sight of it, Dad kept to his hardy trainers, and Boy stuck with his less hardy trainers (which was a mistake).

The dog opted, as he always does, for paws.

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The Walk

Heading up the hill from the car park, we were gifted some reading material in the form of an informative plaque on Gill's Lap, followed by a cute Winnie-the-Pooh quote secured to a log.

Continuing up the hill, our heads were instinctively turned left to take in the views of the Hartfield Hills.

Tip - Ball

Boy is not so big on "views", could be the autism, could be the 5-year-oldness of him. To get him moving, we take a light, bouncy football with us to give him an accompanying objective to his walking. In his case, his kicks are succeeded by the question "How far did that go?" to which we respond with a ludicrous number of miles, pleasing him enough to continue with the next one.

Just be careful around hills or roads, as obviously chasing an errant ball can be dangerous, but even the act of losing it could trigger a meltdown.

As the land levels out, we reach Gills Lap Clump, a small copse with an Ordnance Survey marker next to it. We also encountered an all-important second bench.

It felt like an area we should be doing something in, or at least be in awe of in some way, but we weren't really sure what. So we used the copse to hide from another family, and Boy simply wanted to stand on top of the stone marker for a bit before we continued.

Trigger Alert - People

It was by no means bustling with people, but we did encounter between 7 and 10 groups of people on this stage of the route. A majority were families with young children, presumably drawn in by the Winnie the Pooh attractions.

As lovely as they all seemed to be, we find proximity to people quite stressful, and it was hard to overtake/hang back due to the varying speeds of the children. In addition, the route was not wide enough at this point to create any space, hence us waiting in the copse for a space to appear.

The next part of the route is fairly straightforward and peaceful. Dad points out a "lake" to our right, which, referencing a map afterwards, might be "Roo's Sand pit." If it is, I would assert the Sand pit description is only 50% accurate.

We reach a little fenced clearing on our left with more exceptional views, more seating and a plaque commemorating A.A.Milne and E.H.Shepard. Boy managed to proudly read the plaque aloud, albeit without a care for the context.

Semi-Positive Note - Seating

Thus far, the route has provided 3 benches and a few logs or stones that could be used for seating. Especially helpful to have in the wet weather, but it is worth noting that there are certainly no picnic-type areas or benches and no seating away from the route if you want a quiet moment.

We carry on down the not-too-steep hill for another 15 minutes, with the ball leading the way.

Trigger Alert - Emerging People and Dogs

On this stretch, various people and dogs emerged unexpectedly from the bushes that lined the route. Mercifully, none of them were axe murderers, but it did cause a few jumps from us, most notably the dog.

Accessibility Alert - Uneven Surfaces

The entirety of the route is on very uneven ground. Obviously, the route was not paved, but there were rocks, roots and trenches with every step. This may have been more notable due to the cold and wet weather, but it certainly doesn't look suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs to my eye.

Towards the end of the incline, Boy spotted some holly bushes, still lingering from Christmas. You can't always predict what will instigate speech from him, but apparently today it was holly.

It is spiky.

Don't touch it, be careful, it is spiky.

How many spiky bits are there?

Rousing stuff indeed.

I did not count the spiky bits. I said a number in the hundreds, and after a tense pause, he was happy to accept the calculation and move on.

So we did just that, to another clearing with a staggering 4th bench. This bench had a small collection of Christmassy decoration bits on it, a lovely discovery if you are into that sort of thing.

This was situated next to Wren's Warren car park, which we definitely didn't take a wrong turn into, work out you couldn't get back on the route via any other path to the car park and had to turn around back to the clearing.

Trigger Alert - Loud Car Noise

Due to the proximity of the car park to the B2026, there were fast and loud vehicles passing by. Ear defenders at the ready if you're particularly sensitive to that. Traffic noise was only really at this spot, and a bit later, when we met the main road again, the rest of the route was very peaceful.

Following the path past the car park, we trek uneasily across what felt like the rockiest path yet. It is, however, a little wider now, making it easier to give some distance to the few passing families we encountered here.

Suddenly, there is a chill in the air and a sense of impending doom. Dog is sniffing skywards, Dad and I are concentrating on the U-shaped footprints adorning the path, and Boy is kicking his ball into the spikiest hedge he can find (unrelated).

🐾Paws for Thought🐾- Horses

Two horses, laden with human, were approaching at a reasonable pace behind us. Dad and I are fine with horses, not adoring fans as such, but would go as far as to not want to see one in a lasagne, and Boy is intrigued but indifferent. Dog, on the other hand, was incandescent with rage at their existence.

We found a small gap in the hedge to sneak into to ensure his inevitable barking didn't cause chaos. The barking was indeed inevitable, as was Boy's little crouch to the ground to hide from the noise and change in scenario.

They were lovely horses and considerate riders, but it is safe to assume from the track marks that the presence of horses is frequent.

Chaos over.

We are back on track, and we reach a fork in the path. Sticking to our planned circular route, we head right, deeper into the forest and back towards the road.

Heading left at that point would have taken you towards Pooh Bridge, and ultimately to more attractions on the Pooh trail.

Occasional Trigger Alert - Loud Machinery Noise

This one is a bit unfair, as I imagine it is very occasional, but once we headed right there was tree sawing taking place, causing a lot of noise. Just another note for having ear defenders to hand.

We soon encounter our old friend the B2026, but this time we need to cross.

Safety Alert - Busy Road

It was actually pretty quiet when we got there, and we crossed without issue. As it is a B-road, the few cars we did see were going very fast, so definitely keep little ones close by and untethered dogs under control. It is a forest route, so there were no crossing markings or fencing.

Once safely across, we find ourselves in a more conventional forest setting. The path is strewn with fallen leaves and mud, but is clearly marked and easy to follow. It is beautiful and quiet, and as we walk further in, the trees seem to form a soundproof barrier from the main road we left behind.

Which was very kind of them.

Trigger Alert - Mud (again)

It was especially muddy at this point. Not overly note-worthy for a forest in winter, but Dad would not forgive me for omitting it. Given that at some points he was hugging the side banks like a man shimming on the topmost outer ledge of the Empire State Building.

Positive Note - People (lack thereof)

From here, we did not encounter a single other person. I imagine most families were following the Pooh trail, so although the way we took was less interesting in some sense, it was an introvert's dream.

We crunch on through the woodlands, the vivid green bank Haircap Moss shining through in a backdrop of browns and even darker browns. An easy-going forest trek, until...

Accessibility Alert - Stream

A stream is inconsiderately pushing straight through our path.

Literally, right through the middle of it!

Not overly deep or fast, but enough to make parents of a 5-year-old in trainers need a little think. Dad managed to get himself and the bag over using some irregular stepping stones, and we could then both assist Boy from either side.

Dog is not a fan of water, but seemed happy to bound across to Dad and Boy, so I could follow uninhibited by holding the lead of an insane mutt.

We opted to come back for the Fox, chicken and bag of grain later.

Our aquatic adventure came at the end of the forest walk, and we emerged into some inclining heathland. There was an electric fence for livestock within the internal parameters of the path we were following, though no livestock were present. We followed the path around as it continued to steepen.

The sun was getting lower, it was getting even colder, and Boy was now making declarations of "I'm cold" and "I'm hungry." Given that we were on a hill in January and hadn't eaten lunch, these statements were absolutely fair enough.

It occurred to us that those benches that once seemed abundant were now a distant memory, and there hadn't actually been a suitable place to stop since Wren's Warren car park.

We stopped by a tree suitable to tie a dog lead to, and lowered ourselves into the spiky grassland. Well, I lowered myself, Dad opted to stand, and Boy opted to sit on my legs, because he's not an idiot.

It was not the most glamorous of lunches, but we were fed and partially rested, and the tea from the thermos also served as a much-needed hand warmer.

Boy was eager to get going, so he and Dad charged up the hill, leaving me to repack the bag and see to the dog. When I met them at the top of the hill, Boy had finally caved and called for a cab, the cab being Dad's shoulders.

The 8 remaining feet/paws on the ground carried on across what was now a flat beaten track across the heath, with full views of the forest and surrounding hills restored. As we progressed, we could see Gill's Lap Clump from the beginning of our walk over the other side of the valley, and then the car park.

Damn, it feels good to see your car after walking a 300-foot ascent. Even if it is just a dot on the horizon, and even if it is just a 2009 Ford Focus.

Positive Note - No Triggers!

I've just noticed I've written that whole part with no trigger warnings. Well, that's correct, it was just a very pleasant and very tranquil walking route at this stage.

Tip - Key Phrases

Boy sometimes struggles to understand what's going on just from verbal cues and instructions alone. His speech is doing so much better, as is his comprehension, but we still utilise some easy key phrases or words to help him feel calmer in the moment.

For example, here he knows the phrase "Home Stretch" means this is the last bit. He'd so far gone through various changing landscapes, and every time we emerged from one to another, we sensed he was getting disoriented. We did point out the car to him, but he still wasn't sure we weren't going to randomly veer off into a cave or a hedge maze of some kind before reaching it.

The phrase "Home stretch" is shorthand for "just carry on with this bit as it is, and then you are all done"

He was happy to continue, although he did keep asking for ETA's, which was manageable.

We drifted around the corner of the valley to be once again reunited with the B2026. One last cross and we were home and (relatively) dry to the car park.

Occasional Trigger Alert - Potential for odour

There were no litter or dog poo bins on the entirety of the route. Understandably, they wouldn't be in the depths of the forest, but I was surprised not to see any in the car park, especially as we had diligently carried 2 bags of dog poo around with us for the last 3 hours!

Subsequently, we had to put them in the car boot and take them home to dispose of, causing an odour in the car that some may find triggering.

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Return Home

When we returned home, Dad and Dog fell asleep. Dad, in fairness, did awake and move around after an hour or so, whereas Dog basically found a spot and lay there for the rest of the night, which, for a yapping reactive Schnauzer, is a level of tiredness we appreciate.

Boy still required all 13 acts of his bedtime routine, complete with interlude and encore. However, once his head was on the pillow, he did drop off very quickly.

A perfect length of walk for us, but with the difficulty increased by the cold weather. We will try again in the summer and report back.