Although this walk crosses an area of downland which will be well known to regular Argus walkers, part of the circuit may be less familiar.

Thanks to the opening up of new access areas under recent legislation, it has been possible to include three new path links, now legally available for public use for the first time as they pass through designated open access areas of semi-natural downland.

It is a short walk but also a fairly strenuous one, starting with a steep climb up from the village of Kingston near Lewes and then crossing rolling downland to visit the National Nature Reserve at Castle Hill.

The return route winds steadily up along the floor of Balsdean Bottom, one of the dry valleys which are such a characteristic feature of the East Sussex Downs.

1. From the end of The Street at Kingston follow the path ahead through a swing gate and, after a few yards, go left over a stile and climb through woodland, crossing a second stile. After leaving the wood, the path climbs steeply.

2. Just past a third stile, the official right of way continues steeply up but you should turn right along a path which contours along the hillside with a fence nearby on your right, passing through an open access area with fine views across Kingston towards Lewes and Mount Caburn.

3. After about a quarter of a mile you will reach a junction with a wide chalk track where you should turn left. You now have a choice of two diverging tracks and yours is the one on the right which ascends steadily up to the top of the Downs.

(If you are feeling adventurous, you are free to use one of several alternative paths up the steep, grassy slope to the left of the main track, rejoining the track at the top of the hill.)

Where the ground and the track level out, go ahead beside a right-hand fence. Shortly pass through a bridle gate and go forward along a ridge, now on the South Downs Way, which runs parallel to a fence on your right. After about two-thirds of a mile, a few yards after passing through the next gate, the South Downs Way goes off to the right but you should go ahead, now on a clear hardbased track.

4. After about 250 yards, turn left through a gate, passing a notice which indicates you are entering the Castle Hill Reserve, a precious area of chalk downland, parts of which have been undisturbed by ploughing for hundreds of years. A clear track winds down into a valley lined by slopes of grass and patchy scrub.

5. On reaching another Nature Reserve notice and just short of a gate, turn right to follow a welltrodden path along the floor of a valley with a fence on your left.

Where the path divides, fork left, keeping close to the fence. The path and the grassy slope up to your right are within another newly-established open access area.

Over a stile, bear half-left and shortly right to follow a grassy path up the rising floor of a valley. Towards the top end of the valley, bear left to join and follow a fence on your right up to the corner of the area where there is a gate.

6. Don’t go through this gate. Instead, turn left to follow a level grass track with a fence on your right. After about two-thirds of a mile, shortly before the track begins to curve to the right round the shoulder of a hill, you should break away to the left of the path to drop down steeply across a field of rough pasture, aiming for a group of dilapidated barns at the bottom of the hill.

There is no defined path but this is another of the newly-established access areas on which you may walk freely. As you descend the steep slope, a stile comes into a view in the bottom field corner. Go over it and continue, aiming to pass immediately to the left of the barns.

7. When beside the barns, bear half-left along a grassy track with a fence on your right to reach a bridle gate. Through this gate, a path continues north-eastwards along the floor of Balsdean Bottom, crossing fields and passing through two more gates.

Beyond another barn on your left, a clear track continues up to the head of the valley.

8. At the top of the hill, a fine viewpoint, cross a cattle grid, go forward over the South Downs Way and immediately bear half-right along a descending terraced path. After only 15 yards, go left along a narrower path which drops steeply down the hill along the side of a combe.

About two-thirds of the way down, you will rejoin your outgoing route, at point two, and can retrace your steps down through woodland, back to the start.