IT’S a "timeless’’ game made famous by Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Christopher Robin, and now a leading scientist has devised a formula to boost your chances of winning Poohsticks.

A handbook has named a Hampshire tourist attraction as one of the top destinations in the UK to ensure players get the most out of the children’s classic.

The game Poohsticks, in which competitors drop sticks into a river upstream off a bridge and see which comes out downstream first, is first mentioned in The House At Pooh Corner by AA Milne, published in 1928.

The research, commissioned to celebrate the release of The Poohsticks Handbook: A Poohstickopedia (a new book featuring Winnie the Pooh and friends), reveals the secrets to finding the perfect Poohstick according to top scientist Dr Rhys Morgan and names the best places in the country to play.

The National Trust’s Mottisfont Abbey, near Romsey, is one of those listed by VisitEngland.

Louise Govier, from Mottisfont Abbey, said: “We’ve got various bridges where the game can be played from, and we're absolutely delighted that VisitEngland has recognised us too.

“I think with Poohsticks it is all about practise and finding the best bit of the river with a nice fast flow to play it.”

Dr Morgan’s formula disproves the views of more than half of Britons who believe Poohsticks is a game of sheer luck.

Egmont Publishing joined Dr Morgan, director of engineering and education at the Royal Academy of Engineering, to equip the 39 per cent of people who already take time sourcing the perfect Poohstick with the formula to ensure they pick the speediest stick to sail to victory.

It comes after a survey of 2,000 British parents revealed that 41 per cent of players take the time to personalise their sticks to ensure they take no chances in knowing exactly who wins.

The perfect Poohstick is tubby and long, fairly heavy – but not so heavy it will sink to the bottom of the river – with quite a lot of bark to catch the flow of the river like paddles.

“Normally, a large cross-sectional area decreases speed, but when it comes to Poohsticks, drag is key. If more water is able to influence the trajectory of the stick, it will accelerate more quickly.

"So when it comes to Poohsticks the tubbier sticks are the better sticks,” said the scientist.

Rebecca Lowe of VisitEngland added: “Our recommendations of top Poohsticks bridges are just some of the great spots to enjoy the game across the country, and will hopefully encourage families to get out and engage in some friendly competition over the Bank Holiday weekend.”