Ashdown Forest

The group Clare walks with see Ashdown Forest as a national treasure in its own right – and largely an unsung one. They think it’s remarkable that this ten square miles of open access land has survived, only thirty miles south of London. Estate agents in the past even described it as ‘Scotland in Sussex’. A local resident and podcaster Eka Morgan is keen to reconnect visitors from far and wide back to the natural world of Ashdown Forest. Many of the 1.5 million annual visitors don’t understand that it’s actually not a forest at all, but a heath – one of the rarest habitats in the world, rarer than tropical rainforest. So, she is using audio to tell stories of the Forest with a podcast. Joining Eka on the walk are Tom Forward a wildlife guide and bird mimic, James Adler, who was born on a heathland nature reserve and heads the Conservators of Ashdown Forest. He is at the forefront of developing the centenary celebrations of Winnie-the-Pooh in 2026; and Kari Dunbar, whose new job focuses on raising dog owners’ awareness of the impact of dogs in wildlife habitats – she has two dogs herself. Producer: Maggie Ayre