The lanes around Horsted Keynes and Forest Row run along the edge of Ashdown Forest, the great sandy heath in East Sussex that A. A. Milne turned into the Hundred Acre Wood. He lived at nearby Hartfield, and his son Christopher Robin played here with the toys that became Winnie the Pooh. The forest itself is not a forest in the modern sense; the word meant a royal hunting ground, and the land is largely open heathland with gorse, heather, bracken and clumps of Scots pine, a rare habitat that is looked after by grazing. Nightjars and Dartford warblers live there, and in July the heather turns purple.
Horsted Keynes has a real attraction for anyone who likes steam. Its station is on the Bluebell Railway, a preserved line that runs old locomotives and carriages between Sheffield Park and East Grinstead, and the Victorian station has been kept in period style, with gas lamps and milk churns. On a running day you will hear whistles across the fields. Sheffield Park gardens, nearby, is a big landscaped park with lakes and good autumn colour.
The riding is pure Sussex: narrow, winding lanes with banks and hedges on both sides, short climbs and drops, and views that open and shut. The B2110, B2028 and the roads over the forest are the best, with sections where the surface is rough and the camber is odd, so watch your lines. On the open heath the road is exposed to wind, and in sunshine you will share it with walkers, cyclists, ponies and a lot of car-borne visitors. On a weekday morning it is magic, with light low across the heather.
Horsted Keynes and Forest Row are small villages, so fuel is not guaranteed. East Grinstead, about seven kilometres away, is the town to rely on, with several stations and supermarkets. Both villages have pubs and a village shop, and the forest has a couple of car parks that make good rest stops, with wide views over the Weald on a clear day.