As well as the old chalk grasslands, the South Downs incorporate a variety of habitats, including deciduous, coniferous and mixed woodland, heathland, wetland, shingle beach and saltmarsh.

The 40 walks in this guidebook cover the area of the Downs around Brighton, extending to Eastbourne in the east and as far as Worthing and the Findon Valley in the west, and from the Channel coast to the foot of the Downs steep northern escarpment at the edge of the Sussex Weald.