FOREST ROW
A beginners guide to the village and places of interest nearby. At least a dozen good reasons to spend time here.
The FIRST IMPRESSIONS shop is on the left of the main A22 road as you head south towards Eastbourne opposite the church. The shop stands back off the road beside an ornamental fish pond with a large old chestnut tree on the right.
No matter what time you come to the village of Forest Row, there are numerous places to eat and drink as you wander around some of the more unusual shops, which many of our customers, with a sigh of relief, say is an altogether more enjoyable experience than trekking around endless malls all selling much the same thing.
At the last count there were four pubs, five restaurants and three cafés. So you won’t go hungry and you can certainly quench your thirst. Forest Row is distinguished by two of the worst entries on Trip Advisor, the most popular Internet forum where hotels and restaurants are praised or castigated. THE BRAMBLETYE HOTEL and THE CHEQUERS HOTEL have given such consistently bad service for so long now that they are worth a visit, just for the hell of it.
Here at FIRST IMPRESSIONS in the attractive and peaceful surroundings both inside and out, you can find respite from the noise of crowds and the normal assault of canned ‘music’. We are proud to pay not a penny to the PERFORMING RIGHTS SOCIETY in recognition of all they do for musicians. We believe that if a musician like Cliff Richard is still entitled to a payment for "Travelling Light", recorded one afternoon in 1958, then we should pay our plumbers every time we turn on a tap. Just as heartily we believe that in our shop you will find both gifts and greetings cards that are just a little bit different. We have parking spaces for 2/3 cars but there also are two large FREE car parks situated within the village.
Forest Row is a gateway to the ASHDOWN FOREST where you may walk for hours, apparently far from habitation, but never far from where many lovely spots are reserved as picnic sites. The area is perfect for walkers and cyclists. A minute or so away, the FOREST WAY COUNTRY PARK, which is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty, is particularly accessible for people with disabilities with its flat tree-lined track that follows the abandoned, undisturbed railway track from nearby East Grinstead to Groombridge which is a distance of nearly ten miles. The track may be joined from Forest Row.
As you leave the shop, turn right at the mini roundabout, into the Hartfield Road. You are now just five minutes drive from the “home” of Winnie the Pooh. A.A. Milne lived with his family in Cotchford Farm in the village of Hartfield, also the place where Brian Jones, the most attractive member of The Rolling Stones met his watery death. The famous POOH STICKS BRIDGE has been preserved for posterity and “pooh sticks” is still played there by young and old alike. As you approach the village there is an excellent shop called appropriately “Pooh Corner” which was built three centuries ago. Christopher Robin as a small boy regularly visited the original shop when his nanny took him there. Now it houses the biggest selection of “Pooh-a-phernalia” in the world. An excellent map can be obtained from the shop showing the directions to “Pooh Sticks Bridge” and other famous “Pooh” landmarks.
Whilst there you can also enjoy afternoon tea with all the Japanese tourists in the cottage garden.
If you continue along this road on the A2110 towards Tunbridge Wells, a few miles further on you will come to GROOMBRIDGE PLACE GARDENS and THE ENCHANTED FOREST, recipient of several major tourist awards in recent years. Groombridge Place, with its own restaurant, picnic area and gift shop, is set in 200 acres and features traditional walled gardens, a huge lake, a 17th century moated manor house and an ancient woodland where you walk among mysteries and excitement for young and old. Open from March to October.
North of Forest Row you can choose to take the road from East Grinstead to STANDEN a National Trust property with beautiful gardens, restaurant and shop. This is the home of a wealthy family who, without this bequest to The National Trust, would have disappeared into oblivion. The house now shows examples of the work of William Morris on the walls where original "Arts and Crafts" wallpaper is preserved and justly celebrated. We designed a perfume bottle for Standen a few years back for the centenary celebrations.
Standen can also be approached by taking the road south via Wych Cross. A little further along this winding country road you will catch wonderful views of the WEIRWOOD RESERVOIR where you may join other bird watchers and “twitchers” and even artists as they watch the many water birds working tirelessly at looking for all the world as if they knew they were rare.
WYCH CROSS NURSERIES is just 2/3 minutes south of First Impressions. Turn left at the traffic lights by The Roebuck Hotel; the nursery with its plentiful parking space is on the right.
Although there are all the usual plants shrubs and flowers, they pride themselves in having one of the largest range of roses in the country. Call at the HYBRID TEA ROOM for coffee, a light lunch or tea and on your way out have a look around the gift shop.
If you turn right as you leave the nursery, along the same road where open heathland and forest meet, you will come to THE FOREST CENTRE which is a permanent exhibition of the flora and fauna found on the Ashdown Forest. Buy some post cards of some of these to send to others or simply keep them as a reminder of all the hidden natural beauty that there is for those who speed by without pausing to notice all that is around them.
The Centre also houses the only public toilets on the forest - a welcome relief!
A few minutes further south on the A22 from the nurseries, you will find ASHDOWN FOREST LLAMA FARM which is home to a large breeding herd of llamas and alpacas. There is a farm walk, museum, picnic area, adventure play area, coffee shop and an excellent gift shop selling a wide range of beautiful alpaca knitwear and other unusual items.
If you had turned right, onto the A272 after the Roebuck Hotel at Wych Cross, instead of visiting the nurseries, you can follow the signs to SHEFFIELD PARK GARDENS (National Trust) with 120 acres of gardens containing four large lakes and many interesting plants and shrubs which make it worth a visit at any time of the year but it is particularly beautiful in autumn.
There is also a gift shop and it has its own restaurant.
Just a little further on the A272 you will come to the famous BLUEBELL RAILWAY with its many old steam trains. You can enjoy the ride on one of these old trains and indulge your nostalgia as you wind on a journey though some matchless Sussex countryside. Whilst probably at its best during the bluebell season, it is never short of visitors all year round. The railway is open every weekend and weekdays from May till September.
Perhaps you have visited Kew Gardens? If so it is well worth a visit to WAKEHURST PLACE at Ardingly which is known as “Kew in the Country” and if you pause for The Millennium Seed Bank exhibition with its interactive screens, you can take a virtual tour of the massive underground seed vaults. Open all year round from 10am. Wakehurst Place also has a large gift shop and an excellent café.
If you have been persuaded that English wine is worth drinking, then you will enjoy a visit to BARNSGATE MANOR VINEYARD at Heron’s Ghyll, near Crowborough, where there are beautiful views and vineyard walks also llamas and donkeys. You will also find a restaurant, tea-room and gift shop where you can sample and purchase the Barnsgate wines. Entrance free. Open every day. It is also an approved premises for weddings.
ALSO OF INTEREST NEARBY:
Three organic food outlets
Heaven Farm Nature Walk and tea rooms and a shop selling organic produce.
Deers Leap off-road cycling and organic farm. East Grinstead.
Sackville College Alms Houses with 400 years of history, in East Grinstead
Gills Lap in Hartfield.
Duddleswell Tea rooms on the forest.
Tullys Farm Shop with a tea room, small animals and PYO.
Horsted Keynes Lakes.