I stopped in Pooh Corner, which at first seems like your standard gift shop until you realize this one's built on near-fanaticism. For the Pooh fan with money to burn, there's a ton of stuff to see and buy. I, however, was looking for adventure; I was on an expotition. So it'd be just one pack of postcards, a free map, and on my way.
The first car park I found in the woods was for Pooh Bridge. Following the article's suggestion I picked up poohsticks early along the hike; the article warned (accurately) that there would be none anywhere near the bridge. I found three sticks: a green one for me, a grey one for Kristi (she would love it here), and a long brown reed as the impartial third party. To get to the bridge the short hike of a mile or two took me past serene country farms and woodlands. There was one ornery dog, who obviously woke up on the wrong side of the doghouse, but he was behind me in no time.
At
the bridge there were two Japanese girls who had traveled even further than
I to see the birthplace of Pooh. They played poohsticks well. As I watched
them play I abandoned my plan to drop all three of my poohsticks myself (one
from each hand and one from my mouth). It would be so much friendlier to
share.
I gave them their choice of sticks, and somehow I was left with the green one. We dropped them. We ran to the other side of the bridge. The green one won by a landslide. The others, in fact, never came out the other side. I guess they're waiting for Kristi and the impartial third party to see them through in-person.
Back at the car I started getting creative with the self-timer on my camera, as you'll see in the photo. I headed to the next car park, which put me right in the midst of all the real places that had inspired A.A. Milne's books. Down the hill was Eeyore's gloomy place. Rooh's sandy pit was to the right as I walked toward the Enchanted Place. There I'd find a monument to Milne and his artist, Shepherd. After tromping along a rabbit-trail through the gorse, I found my way back to the car and headed back. Some inner part of me was as contented as a bear in a huny pot.
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