In 2026, as the world celebrates 100 years since the publication of the first Winnie-the-Pooh stories, the Forest is opening an enchanting new chapter with The Big One Hundred, an immersive cultural experience designed to reconnect families with storytelling, nature, and outdoor play.
Created and produced by visionary arts company Trigger, the project transforms the historic heathland into a living narrative.
Through interactive performances, newly designed nature walks, and community participation, visitors will be invited to step inside a magical story unfolding across one of Britain’s most extraordinary natural landscapes.
Long before it became synonymous with Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin, Ashdown Forest held a different kind of magic..
Spanning vast open heathlands, ancient woodlands, and biodiverse habitats, the Forest is now recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the rarest lowland heathland ecosystems in the world, a habitat even more endangered than tropical rainforest.
Home to some of Europe’s most threatened wildlife species, including the Dartford Warbler, Silver-Studded Blue Butterfly, Dormouse, Tiger Beetle, and the Adder, the Forest represents both a cultural treasure and an ecological sanctuary.
The Big One Hundred celebrates this delicate balance between imagination and conservation, inviting audiences to rediscover the natural world through storytelling and sensory exploration.
At the heart of the project is the introduction of The Curious Adventurer, a large-scale mythical puppet creature inspired by the landscape and its native species.
Designed by Trigger, the creative force behind major public art installations including The Hatchling, the world’s largest human-operated puppet the character will be brought to life by ten puppeteers during a series of outdoor performances across the Forest.
Blurring the line between folklore and environmental storytelling, the creature embodies the playful mythology that defined the original Hundred Acre Wood while offering a contemporary narrative rooted in biodiversity and preservation.
The puppet will also travel beyond the Forest, touring cultural and heritage locations across Sussex throughout summer 2026.
Alongside the performances, five new themed walking routes will open to visitors, offering immersive ways to experience the Forest’s landscape.
Each walk highlights one of the Forest’s unique and endangered species, transforming outdoor exploration into a living educational journey.
The routes will include Ashdown Forest’s first all-weather trail, designed to make the landscape more accessible year-round while maintaining its ecological integrity.
By combining conservation awareness with storytelling, the walks encourage visitors to view the Forest not simply as a destination, but as a living ecosystem with its own narrative voice.
Supported by Wealden District Council, Arts Council England, and The Ashdown Forest Foundation, The Big One Hundred positions Ashdown Forest as both a heritage landmark and a forward-thinking cultural destination.
By merging theatrical storytelling, ecological awareness, and family-focused outdoor experiences, the initiative reimagines what cultural tourism can look like in an era increasingly defined by digital immersion.
Instead of screens, visitors are invited to rediscover wonder through shared physical experiences.. woodland walks, live performances, and imaginative play rooted in nature.
A century after Christopher Robin wandered through these woods, Ashdown Forest is once again becoming a place where stories begin this time written collectively by families, artists, and the natural world itself.
The Big One Hundred will launch across Ashdown Forest and Sussex throughout summer 2026, offering free cultural events designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and conservation for generations to come.
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