A -Z Brighton Hidden Walks: Discover 20 routes in and around the city

I live about 25 miles from Brighton with a direct rail link so it is a place that I do like to visit when I can. When I do visit I enjoy walking around and exploring but I do tend to stick to the same areas that I know I like. This book is giving me loads of great suggestions for new places to go to.The options range from half hour strolls round the town centre to three-and-a-half hour walks in the surrounding countryside so plenty of variety. Each walk has a map and exhaustive directions, along with some details of getting to the start point by public transport - always a good option because Brighton is notoriously car-hostile so I tend to take the train or use the park & ride.Having said that, not all the walks are in Brighton itself. There is one in Lewes (also a bit of a faff to drive in come to think of it) and Shoreham.A nice little touch is that the information panel for each walk gives you an idea of the terrain which will be useful if you have any sort of mobility issues - no point picking a walk that involves shingle or muddy footpaths if there is a wheelchair involved!Best of all, the book is in a nice compact format that would fit easily in the pocket of a coat or cargo shorts.

In an expanding series, this is one of my favourites with the book binding more forgiving; the maps larger & easier to navigate, especially over the double page spreads.Each title is written by a local expert, in this case 'Ric Morris':~‘a professional Blue Badge Tourist Guide in South East England, London and Brighton, where he runs "Only in Brighton!"...’Measuring roughly 12.5 cm x 18 cm, it is an informative little book in what it offers but, as it is not designed as a comprehensive guide, other resources may be required.The current stock images + the ’LOOK INSIDE’ facility above give an idea of the layout including the short ‘INTRODUCTION’ & ‘HOW TO USE THIS BOOK’, to see if it is the style for you & yours.ooOooWell bound, the card cover with the author’s own image of ‘Mural, Frederick Place’, opens to 128 good quality, shiny finish pages, split over the 20 walks.Uniform in the layout and believed to be correct at the time of publication, the 'KEY INFORMATION' for each walk is presented, as the back cover is, in white print on a blue background, namely:~ start & finish~ nearest postcode~ distance~ time~ terrainThe rest of the text is a reasonable size in black, contrasted with the titling & sub-titling in blue.Each walk has a short INTRODUCTION, followed by a detailed street map, with the chosen route as a red & white track between the locations on the map that are marked numerically as red dots, the detail for each found over the page. Blue Stars within the short paragraphs, and on the maps, denote ‘PLACES OF INTEREST’.Colourful, full page shots are indexed & accredited as relevant on the very last page, alongside the ‘KEY TO MAP SYMBOLS’ that are on the inside cover.I am looking forward to a meet up at ‘HOVE ACTUALLY’ (Walk 12), in the not too distant future. Subtitled ‘Grand Houses and Bewitching Backstreets’, who could not be intrigued? But that stunning shot, also by the author, of ‘St. Peter’s Church, Preston Village’, on page 57 (Walk 9), entitled ‘Three Hills Challenge’ is just that…~ ‘...With so much to enjoy and explore, it is recommended that you allow the best part of a day for this walk, and savour the many opportunities for rest and refreshment along the way.’Speaking of refreshment, that colourful café in ‘Quirky Kemptown’, back on page 29, will be very hard to miss, one of the other days!19 images attached © Ric Morris/Collins Bartholomew Ltd & others/2023

I lived in Brighton for over 20 years so am very familiar with most of the highlights and historical details but I was keen to look at the A-Z of Hidden Walks to see what I'd missed out on!There are quite a few walks that opened up new areas to me, particularly those more away from the city centre and I will certainly explore more of those areas now.I liked the layout & style of the book- the steps were clear to follow and the reference points were well thought through and clear to spot. I appreciated the suggestions of where not to go as well - in the walk around Brighton train station and London Road for example, the different stair cases can get confusing so it was good to note the clarity about exactly which steps to follow!The photographs were well chosen too - they showcase Brighton at its best.Thanks for the chance to read it, the book is a welcome addition to my bookshelf and will be helpful in persuading my children to explore more. I would recommend this series as a good way to explore a city and would look out for them when I am going to new places!

This is useful if you want to get more walking around Brighton area. This is a really nice walk guidebook. It has a bit of history about the area with distance and time to walk clearly stated. The maps and guide instructions are very good. The map shows where the guide instruction occurs which is convenient if you don’t know the area well and it is very useful on the ‘cross-country’ walks. As most of the walks are within the City and the roads are named so it is easy to find where your route should take you, so you shouldn’t get lost while following the guide.Value for money this book is excellent. There are many walks in here with the historic information and it is less than £10!