For some, walking is just the only late night option when you’ve boozed your taxi fare away – up and down the kerb as you shamble home all messy. But some people actually walk to take in the air and their surroundings, you know, like on purpose. Here’s some routes you can take to cut down on yer pork life and get some exercise.

BEST DISUSED RAILWAY WALK
In 1887 a railway line opened which carried tourists from Aldrington up the long, slow hills to Devil’s Dyke. The service fell into disuse in the 30s, but these days it’s possible to follow most of the old route on foot along the Dyke Railway Trail. The current path starts at the top of Poplar Avenue in Hangleton, climbing northwards away from the city until it reaches Devil’s Dyke, with its pub, open-top buses and awe-inspiring views. (SH)

BEST WALK ENDING IN A PUB
By the end of a walk you can’t beat a beer, making the nine-mile trek from Hassocks to Lewes, along the South Downs, perfect to muster up a healthy thirst. Via the path along the Hassocks railway station you approach Jack and Jill, then walk along the downs stopping to take in the breathtaking views. By the third hour you’ll be gagging for the delights of the Lewes Arms pub which greets you on at the end of the epic journey. (MH)

BEST WALK AT SUNRISE
Grab a few drinks and a designated driver and take one of several signposted walks along the South Downs, starting at the car park at the top of the downs on the way out to Ditchling. Wrap up warm and make sure you don’t get too drunk as falling isn’t recommended. Aim to get there an hour before sunrise; start at the main entrance, head either right or left, walk and explore until the sun starts to rise and you’ll see Brighton in a whole new light. (HM)

BEST WALK AMONG THE DEAD
It’s rare for a town to have most of its dead concentrated in such a dedicated area, but a stroll up Bear Road reveals both the Woodvale and Extra Mural cemeteries, with the Jewish cemetery just round the corner as well as a pair of big-chimney crematoria. Victorian opulence abounds with several English Heritage-listed monuments, commemorating many of Brighton’s historic notables lying about the place. It’s an oddly beautiful and quietly humbling place to visit with some genuinely awesome tombs, the like of which no one will bother to build for you. (NC)

BEST WALK WITHOUT HILLS
Popular with cyclists as well as walkers, the wheelchair-friendly under-cliff path from Brighton Marina offers some of the county’s most unusual scenery. The path winds for over three miles eastwards before petering out at Telscombe Cliffs – in 1986 this isolated stretch of chalk beach doubled as the planet Thoros Beta in Doctor Who. Nesting fulmars swoop overhead while cormorants power along the Channel. Flagging walkers can step inland and catch a bus home at Ovingdean, Rottingdean and Saltdean. (SH)

BEST COUNTRY-LITE WALK
Stanmer Park, on the way out to Falmer, is a good novice’s entry point to getting fresh air and seeing horses and stuff. From its entrance where you’ll begin and end your walk, you can do an entire circuit within half an hour, unless you stop off for tea and cake at the quaint halfway café or check out Stanmer House, the eco buildings and old church that punctuate your stroll. Summer sees families with pergodas and barbecues pitching up to make a day of it. (Caution: may contain poi.) (NC)

BEST WALK VIA BUS
You’ll need the best part of a sunny day to complete the Seven Sisters walk, but the full route covers some of the most beautiful and iconic countryside in Britain. Grab a one-day saver bus ticket, and start walking at Cuckmere Haven (or earlier, from Seaford, if you’re particularly hardy). The route over the staggeringly steep Seven Sisters is punishing, but persist beyond Birling Gap, onwards and upwards, to a much-deserved pint at The Beachy Head pub itself. (SH)

BEST AMATEUR PSYCHOGEOGRAPHERS WALK
For the urban walker who fancies oneself as Brighton’s answer to Iain Sinclair or Will Self, the frequently grim westway to Shoreham offers all the mind fuel you need. Sulking power stations. Terminal garages. Pubs for retired thugs and pensioned loose cannons from the Met. Linger too long in the no man’s land between Portslade and Shoreham and the next time anyone hears from you will be when your anonymous corpse surfaces in the next Peter James novel. (SH)

BEST BEACH WALK
Forget walking to the marina – we’re talking pier-to-pier. High summer or darkest winter, this is one of the best affirmations of Brighton life you can enjoy. Lots of us don’t make the most of seaside living, put off by the sunburnt cockneys who litter our shores, but strolling along the seafront past galleries, rides, museums, restaurants, clubs and bars reminds us that, hey – we actually live in Brighton, where other people come on holiday. The fact that you can stop for a drink every two minutes doesn’t hurt either. (NC)

SOUTH DOWNS HISTORIC TOWNS
History buffs – why not visit Steyning? Catch the 2A bus from Churchill Square. Surrounded by downland, Steyning has it all: small coffee shops, pubs and local shopping. There are lots of walks nearby. The Horse Shoe is a pretty comfortable walk with wild flowers and views over Steyning. For a more relaxed option, stroll along the banks of the river Adur or for a real walk try Chanctonbury Ring. Finally there is Bramber Castle, a perfect spot for a picnic and a walk round the moat. (HC)

Words by Nick Coquet, Matt Hodson, Stuart Huggett, Helen Murdoch, Hannah Cutts
Photo by Matt Hodson