Into the Enchanted Forest with Callum

Into the Secret Heart of Ashdown Forest. Callum is an 18-hand chestnut Warmblood with four white socks, half Irish Sports Horse and half German Oldenburg. He is a fascinating character, part pussycat and part tiger. We have had our moments, yet this loveable rogue has stolen my heart. Like me, he adores the forest and moves through it with the grace of the great ballet dancer Nureyev.

Together we have criss-crossed miles of purple heathland and ventured into the forest's deepest secrets. Neither of us is quite in the first flush of youth. Callum has battled a damaged check ligament and changes to one hoof, while I have undergone a total knee replacement. Even so, nothing has diminished the magic that lives within this ancient landscape, home to Winnie the Pooh and his friends, herds of deer, the occasional boar and even, once, a glimpse of a lion.

When Callum and I go down to the woods, we know there will always be surprises. Come along for the ride and you may be surprised too. Discover secret places and hidden dells, poetry and writers, the ghosts of Roman soldiers, an Iron Age hill fort, V1 rocket craters and endless beauty. Above all, discover the magic