Children’s Literary Classics: Winnie-the-Pooh at 100 | June 2026

A rich vein of natural inspiration runs through much of our best-loved children’s literature. We think of Mole and the Water Rat ‘messing about in boats’ along the Thames in Berkshire and of Frodo Baggins wandering through the Shire, a gentle landscape that bears a striking resemblance to the Warwickshire and Worcestershire countryside so familiar to Tolkien. These classics have been followed in more recent years by favourites such as Watership Down, set in North Hampshire; Colin Dann’s The Animals of Farthing Wood; and Brian Jacques’s Redwall.

 
As the world celebrates the centenary of the publication of A A Milne’s beloved classic Winnie-the-Pooh in 2026, there could be no better year to rediscover the landscape that inspired its creator. Our tour will immerse travellers in the entrancing world of Christopher Robin and the animals who famously inhabit Hundred Acre Wood, alongside other important works of children’s fiction inspired by the natural environment.

 
The real Christopher Robin lived at Cotchford Farm, an idyllic 16th century farmhouse in the beautiful village of Hartfield, seven miles south-west of Tunbridge Wells. His father, A A Milne, had bought the house in 1925 as a country retreat, and the family, though normally based in London, would spend weekends and holidays there. The farm lay on the edge of Ashdown Forest, “an enchanted spot”, as Christopher Milne was later to write, “before ever Pooh came along to add to its magic”. The forest would become Hundred Acre Wood, home to Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger, and the site of Pooh Sticks Bridge, Galleon’s Lap, Roo’s Sandy Pit and the Heffalump Trap.

Our time in Ashdown will incorporate both the history of the book’s creation – visiting the memorial dedicated to A A Milne and illustrator E H Shepard as well as key sites from the stories – and an exploration of the wildlife and landscape led by a natural historian. A particularly special inclusion will be a private visit to the house and garden at Cotchford Farm itself, from the beautifully renovated, historical interiors to its captivating garden.

 
As we progress through our tour, we will deepen our appreciation of complementary children’s classics. In particular, we will visit Bateman’s in the Sussex countryside, the 17th century family home of Rudyard Kipling. It was in this house that Kipling wrote Puck of Pook’s Hill and Rewards and Fairies, which includes the poem If. The furniture and artefacts in the rooms remain much as Kipling left them and reflect his strong association with India. The house is surrounded by a twelve-acre garden and includes a river, wildflower meadow, watermill, lily pond, orchard and formal rose garden.

Frances Hodgson Burnett lived at Great Maytham Hall from 1898-1907, and the site’s original walled garden provided inspiration for The Secret Garden, with later developments by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. Meanwhile, the Manor in Hemingford Grey – one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in the UK – inspired Lucy Boston’s Green Knowe stories and is full of tranquil wonder.

 
Cambridge is a fitting place to end our tour, as it was here that A A Milne studied mathematics at Trinity College. Before his death, Milne bequeathed his original manuscripts of Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner to his alma mater, and they are now held in the architecturally stunning Wren Library at Trinity. We will enjoy a very special private visit here on our final day, followed by an opportunity to explore Cambridge's excellent second-hand and rare edition bookshops.

 
Throughout, our Tour Director and special guest speakers – including Professor Emeritus in English and Children’s Literature Peter Hunt and children’s author Jane Riordan – will help to illuminate the literary works themselves, the history of their composition and the importance of the role played by the natural world. We will also aim to incorporate any special events and exhibitions as they are announced.

 
In Tunbridge Wells we will stay at the Hotel du Vin, set in a striking Grade II-listed mansion close to the town centre and picturesque parks; while our Cambridge base will be the four-star University Arms Hotel, a stylish setting with a rich history, serving as a hotel since 1830, and ideally situated in the centre of the city.

This tour will be led by Caroline Hopkinson-Woolley, BA, who has lived and worked in Cambridge for many years. Caroline gained her degree in English Language & Literature from Merton College, Oxford, before training as a lawyer. She is a freelance writer who has published her fiction in anthologies and won several awards (including Country Life’s short story competition, judged by Alexander McCall Smith, in 2013), as well as contributing to the Times Literary Supplement, Spectator, Literary Review, The Oldie, Slightly Foxed, Oxford Today, The Lady, The Tablet and, most regularly, Country Life. She has worked closely with ACE to develop this brand new tour, building on her contacts in the publishing world, and is delighted to be able to celebrate the Winnie-the-Pooh centennial with an ACE group in 2026. Caroline will be joined by several experts across the span of this tour, who will give guest talks on a variety of connected topics.

Special Guest Speakers:

Professor Peter Hunt is Adjunct Professor at Dublin City University, Eire, and Professor Emeritus in English and Children’s Literature at Cardiff University, UK.

 
He was the first Professor of Children’s Literature in a UK university. He has been a pioneer of the academic study of Children’s Literature, has lectured at over 150 universities, colleges and to learned societies in 27 countries, and has written or edited 38 books and more than 500 papers and reviews on the subject. In 2003 he was awarded the Brothers Grimm Award for services to children’s literature, from the International Institute for Children’s Literature, Osaka; in 2018 a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Università degli Studi Suor Orsula Benincasa, Naples; and in 2020 the Anne Devereaux Jordan Award for Distinguished Service to Children's Literature from the Children’s Literature Association (USA).

 
Over the past few years he has been a Visiting Professor at Trinity College Dublin (Long Room Hub), Unversità Ca’Foscari Venice, Newcastle University (UK), and Hollins University (USA). His most recent books include The Making of Lewis Carroll’s Alice (2020), and Alice’s Oxford (2025). He is currently co-editing the Routledge Companion to YA Literature, and writing a book on Edwardian Children’s Writers. He is also a full-time Grandprof.

Jane Riordan is an author who originally trained to be a primary school teacher, but her love of children’s books led to a career in Publishing. She has been lucky enough to work on household names such as Paddington Bear, Mr Men, Thomas the Tank Engine, Tintin and Winnie-the-Pooh.

Jane has edited and written countless books for children, in particular the HarperCollins authorised Winnie-the-Pooh sequels collection alongside illustrator Mark Burgess, including Winnie-the-Pooh Goes to London and Once There Was a Bear. Jane lives in London with her partner and two children and loves to explore the capital and beyond by bike and on foot.

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Pooh Goes Visiting: An Exclusive Invitation to Cotchford Farm

 

As part of our tour celebrating children’s literary classics and the 100th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh, we are delighted to announce an exclusive private visit to Cotchford Farm. Click below to find out more.

   

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