Visit the 100 Aker Woods at Aldenham Country Park

The 100 Aker Woods at Aldenham Country Park is the stuff of dreams. Seriously.

If you want to relive tales from your childhood, or begin inviting your own children to immerse themselves in the gorgeous world of Winnie the Pooh, then you’ve got to visit the real life 100 Aker Woods!

Situated in Aldenham Country Park in Hertfordshire, the Winnie the Pooh themed trail will invite you to explore each of the characters homes and favourite hang out spots, with a few added features along the way!

I’m sure I’m one of the many, many people who loved Winnie the Pooh as a child. I remember having Winnie the Pooh videos (videos!) and various cuddly toys. I even had an Eeyore whose tail could be removed! Walking through the 100 AkerWoods gave me alllll the nostalgic feelings. My heart felt so full as I felt childhood memories stirring at the back of my brain (“Oh I remember the story where Owl’s tree falls down!”) whilst watching Jett explore this world for the first time, making memories of his own.

I’ve read him all the classic Winnie the Pooh stories, of course I have. I have them in a beautiful treasury of 100 Aker Woods tales. But he was too young to remember me reading them. Now, we’ve sparked a new interest in Winnie the Pooh – and it’s time to re-read those tales and match them up with all that we saw in the 100 Aker Woods together.

Anyway, enough reminiscing from me and my nostalgic heart – this is a post for you, explaining exactly why you too, need to make a trip to the 100 Aker Woods.

Entering the 100 Aker Woods

The 100 Aker Woods starts with a woodland trail. It’s signposted by a handmade wooden sign that looks as if it was crafted by Christopher Robin himself!

As you make your way down the dirt track, you’ll come across an adorable illustrated map of the 100 Aker Woods, conveniently placed next to a field of sheep! Luckily, they’re very friendly and loved to be stroked. Having these at the start of the trail already gets the trip off to a good start with little ones.

Make sure you take a photo of the map – or download a copy of it here. That way you can make sure you don’t miss any of the things to see along the way!

First up on the map is Pooh’s bridge, where the game of Pooh sticks was invented. You can cross here and start the trail, or you can keep going straight and start the trail that way. It doesn’t matter which way you pick, as you’ll still pass all the spots either way. We chose to go straight on, so we could finish on the bridge!

It’s worth noting that whilst there is just one step up to the bridge as you enter the trail, there are five or six steep steps down the other side of the bridge, so not suitable for a pram, wheelchair or someone with physical disabilities.

Things to see and do in the 100 Aker Woods

When you’re completing the trail, there is plenty to see and do. You can spot six of the characters homes, which all look exactly as they do in the book, wonky, misspelt signs and all. Winnie the Pooh’s house even has a little surprise inside, so keep your eyes peeled!

You’re welcome to get up close to the houses, touch them and take photos. Please remember to be respectful of them though – be careful not to damage them.

There are also eight other landmarks from the stories of Winnie the Pooh to spot, including ‘Sandy Pit where Roo plays’, which is a real sandpit you can play in, the North Pole and a Heffalump trap. For us, though, the best landmark to play at was the ‘Big Stones and Rox’. Here you could paddle in a little stream, balance across stepping stones and spot plenty of wildlife at play. Jett absolutely loved this part of the trail!

If you take your time at each house, stop to play in the sandpit, stop to explore the stepping stones and stream and stroll along the path at a leisurely pace (easily done with a toddler!), you could definitely spend at least an hour completing the trail. Why not make a Winnie the Pooh themed snack selection to enjoy on the way round? Or, why not take a Winnie the Pooh book and stop to read it halfway round the trail? Throw a little extra magic into your memory making!

What else can you do at Aldenham Country Park?

The best part of the 100 Aker Wood is that it is absolutely free! You only need to pay for parking. This costs £4.50, which is a little expensive but that allows you to stay at Aldenham Country Park for the whole day – and there is plenty more to do! You can take your time completing the 100 Aker Wood trail, and complete it as many times as you like. There is a nature trail, a reservoir and a lakeside walk around it, and a picnic area. All of this is free of charge, so for £4.50 parking, that’s quite an affordable family day out!

For an additional cost, you can also visit the rare breeds farm and the adventure playground. The adventure playground is an accessible playground, part of Aldenhams SEND Pavillion, which is great to see.

We didn’t explore anything other than the 100 Aker Woods and stopping for a picnic, and we were there for almost three hours. I imagine you could easily spend the best part of a day here!

As well as picnic areas (grass and benches) there is a very small kiosk sellings small snacks, drinks and ice creams which has a private outdoors seating area with about six picnic tables. Try the Jersey whippy ice cream – you won’t regret it! There is also another cafe that serves more substantial food and has indoor and outdoor seating available.

Facilities and accessibility

The footpath for the 100 Aker Woods was flat most of the time. It was relatively easy with a buggy, but I imagine this would be a different story had the ground been wet and muddy. It could potentially be doable with a wheelchair, but we didn’t see one to be sure, and there doesn’t seem to be much information about this online.

If you’re visiting the farm, they have ‘quiet hours’ every day from 9am-11am where no music is played.

There is the SEND Pavillion for those who have disabilities. There are three sessions a day that can be booked on to, including one from 9am-11am which is exclusively for those with additional needs. It then opens up to the general public; more info can be found here.

There are toilets on site, as well as plenty of space for picnics and some picnic benches provided too.

Prices at Aldenham Country Park

As already mentioned, the 100 Akre Woods is absolutely free of charge, as are the nature trails and the lakeside walk around the reservoir. If you want to take advantage of the other features of the park, prices are as follows:

• Entry to the rare breeds farm – £6.95. This allows you entrance for the whole day!
• Farm Stories and Wild Stories – 5.00. These are 40 minute storytime sessions for pre-schoolers and babies.
• Small animal petting – £4.50. Sessions are 45 minutes long and all children (anyone under the age of 18) must be accompanied by an adult (anyone over the age of 18).
• Adventure Playground – £3.00. You may wonder why you have to pay to access a playground, but it’s a pretty epic one! Expect swings, slides, sandpits, a zip wire, waterpump and sensory play for those with special educational needs.
• Parking – £4.50

So, when will you visit the 100 Aker Woods?

Open from 9am-5pm, all week long, there’s plenty of time for you to get a trip booked in!

We visited on a weekend during the summer holidays and found the entire park to be pleasantly quiet. The things to see and do along the 100 Aker Woods trail are so well spread out that there’s no need for multiple families to crowd around each house, trying to get close or take photos, which I really liked.

Everything looks like it’s been taken straight from the pages of the book, so whether you’re an adult or a child, a parent or not, you can enjoy getting lost in the world of Christopher Robin and all his friends.

Let me know if you make the trip – I’d love to hear all about it.