The leaves have turned a bright array of autumn colours, red, orange and yellow, and they are starting to drop, like feathers, floating to the muddy path. They crunch underfoot.
These autumn colours, and the turn in the weather, are perhaps best enjoyed when they are accompanied by the promise of a roaring fire and the comfort of a luxury hotel.
Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club in East Sussex is set in the most magnificent grounds - 186 acres to be exact - among the sweeping woodlands of Ashdown Forest.
These really are spectacular woods - they even once inspired A.A. Milne to write the Winnie the Pooh books, and the hotel nods to this with a tasteful display of memorabilia inside.
And one of the best things is that even though this inspiration came more than 100 years ago - with Pooh Bear celebrating his 100th birthday milestone in 2021 - it's not changed.
It's easy to imagine that these woods have the same beautiful colours, atmosphere and surroundings today.
And if it's a breath of fresh countryside air that you're after, Ashdown Park’s grounds don't just include magnificent woodland, they also include 40 acres of grazing land where wild deer roam free, plus a lake with fountains and a jetty from which to view both the forest and the grounds sloping down from the hotel’s wide flagstoned terrace.
On the other side of the hotel, which stands proudly if somewhat gothically in the middle, there is also a peaceful walled garden with herbaceous borders, a grand old greenhouse, apple trees and mature shrubs.
We are welcomed into the hotel reception, and its history hits us; the sweeping staircase, panelled walls and roaring fire - this is a hotel that shines as brightly in the wintery months as it does in the summer.
It's set in a listed 19th-century mansion house, which has 106 bedrooms and suites, with each room named after a tree species found on the grounds or forest.
We are shown to our room, which is beautifully furnished and feels so big, in its West Wing, past the hotel's very own church, which now hosts weddings, conferences and other special events.
Its breathtaking stained glass windows are still as vibrant now as they were when they were installed in 1927. They even feature 35 shades of blue.
Of course, a stay in a country retreat would not be complete without a visit to the spa, and Ashdown Park has a wonderful spa building, separate from the main hotel but just a short walk, which features an indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi, relaxation rooms, gym and six treatment rooms.
We slipped on our towelling robes and slipped into the pool, before enjoying the peace and tranquillity of sitting around doing very little.
After all our relaxing, there was plenty to explore in the hotel itself, with a games room downstairs complete with snooker tables, a bar that feels so cosy you could lose a night in there sipping spirits from the trolley, and several lounges that invite you in to sit down and relax.
Food is also taken seriously here, with its award-winning Anderida Restaurant providing fine dining, and doubling up as an impressive breakfast room at the other end of the day, and its new Forest Brasserie at the spa building providing an informal dining experience that has an emphasis on local produce and suppliers. Think locally sourced burgers.
If it's fitness that you're after, as well as the gym and miles of country walks, there's an 18-hole par 3 golf course, two tennis courts, a putting green, cycling routes and much more.
We don't take in much exercise during our one-night stay, apart from the invigorating walk around the grounds, instead preferring to revel in the luxury of quietness and take the opportunity to relax in its regenerative surroundings. It feels great to just breathe in the country air and relax in the comfort of a wonderfully welcoming and attentive place.
The staff are excellent, nothing is too much trouble, and everything is seen to with quiet perfection. Our night in the countryside has worked wonders, and it's given us the dose of R&R we needed.
The building itself has a long and varied history, with uses as a convent, as well as a university and training centre, but seems to have settled into its own as a country retreat and hotel.
Ashdown Country Park, in Wych Cross, near Forest Row, East Sussex, is part of the Elite Hotels 2023 group. Stay overnight from £199 per room (two sharing), including a wide range of breakfast options. Call Ashdown Park on 01342 824988 (www.ashdownpark.com).
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