Play Poohsticks along the River Thames

Follow in the steps of Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin and introduce the family to a game of poohsticks.

There are over 100 bridges along the River Thames, many crossing over pretty and quiet little backwaters, perfect for a game of pooh sticks.

A A Milne’s ‘Winnie the Pooh’ has been loved by children ever since it was written.  In the book, Pooh trips over something and drops a fir cone into the river and notices that it had flowed under the bridge. 'That's funny,' said Pooh. 'I dropped it on the other side,' said Pooh, 'and it came out on this side! I wonder if it would do it again?' In the book he goes on to try different sizes and has a competition with himself on which one will win when he drops different sizes in together. That was how Poohsticks started.

Many people have played it on the iconic bridge in Ashford Forest and for 35 years the Poohsticks Championships were held on the River Thames, organised by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires.  Located just downstream from Days Lock, Little Wittenham Bridge connects Little Wittenham and Dorchester-on-Thames and was the bridge used for the final of the Championships. The other bridge used for the heats was Dorchester bridge.

Pooh sticks game rules:

• Select a stick, face upstream, side by side with fellow competitors
• Choose either the oldest or the youngest competitor as a "starter"
• Competitors must holds their stick at arms length over the stream, usually from a bridge, at the same height as the shortest competitor's stick
• All competitors must drop, and not throw, their sticks into the water at the same time, on the starter's call
• The players must then cross to the downstream side of the bridge and wait for the sticks to emerge
• The owner of the first stick to float from under the bridge is the winner

Source: Rotary Club of Oxford Spires