Thanks to the lockdown huge numbers of people have been descending on beauty spots in Sussex every time the sun comes out.

I know the authorities would rather we were all tucked up at home and most us are most of the time.

But if you surveyed those who have had an hour or two in the countryside, I’m sure most would say they felt far better because of it.

The trouble is that too many people are going to these places which makes keeping their distance hard to observe.

At Devil’s Dyke the car parks are full to overflowing and there are traffic problems on the access road.

On one particularly busy day, nearly all the 40 car parks in the Ashdown Forest were full, leading to fears that the fragile landscape would not be able to withstand such pressure.

There were reports that so many cars got stuck trying to park at the Jack and Jill windmills near Clayton that police were called to sort it out.

Once at these beauty spots, most visitors do not stray more than 50 metres from their cars, which is undesirable.

Some could not walk further because of old age and infirmity. Many plan to look at the view swiftly before returning to their homes.

But there is another group, which I believe to be large, of visitors who would like to go for a walk but are afraid of doing so.

A century ago many people in towns did not have the cash or time to visit the countryside but that started to change between the two world wars.

I have an old Ordnance Survey map of the Brighton area which shows how few footpaths there were in those days.

Gradually more were provided along with bridle paths intended first of all for horse riders and latterly for cyclists.

The creation of the South Downs Way from Eastbourne to Brighton and later to Winchester was a big step forward as it was the first long distance path accessible to both walkers and riders.

Since then Sussex has benefited from at least ten long distance routes. They vary from the Monarch’s Way of more than 600 miles to the Ouse Valley path which is about 40 miles long.

There are many other more local paths and there are plenty of people to look after them. Firstly there are councils which are responsible for rights of way.

Then there are organisations such as the South Downs National Park authority and groups like the Friends of the South Downs and the Sussex Wildlife Trust.

There are also the people who use them like the Ramblers’ Association and those volunteers who keep the paths clear and repair them.

Sussex has more paths than almost any other county and the variety of landscapes is remarkable ranging from the great chalk cliffs of the Downs as they hit the sea between Brighton and Eastbourne to the marshes of the Pevensey Levels.

Yet these paths can appear forbidding to those who do not visit the countryside much or who know little of it.

Most signs simply say “public footpath” without giving any indication of how long it is or where it is heading.

It would not take much effort for Sussex to follow the Isle Wight’s lead and provide this information.

Even more experienced walkers probably don’t know all the terms used for paths such as “Restricted Byway”. Little guides about them could be put on existing signposts.

There is a great need for more countryside centres, particularly in the Brighton area which is the busiest.

There has been talk of this being provided at Stanmer Park which is a popular place for visitors. Foredown Tower in Portslade would be another good site.

The national park has an attractive centre but it is at Midhurst which has a comparatively small population.

More needs to be done to make walking and cycling safer and easier. The Downs Link had a nasty crossing of the Steyning bypass.

Instead of providing a tunnel or bridge, the authorities decided to divert the path so that it goes under the busy road at the same point as the River Adur.

When the Brighton bypass was built, the Department for Transport saved money by skimping on the paths. It is very difficult for walkers and riders to get across the downland dual carriageway at several of the junctions such as those with Dyke Road and Ditchling Road.

The lockdown has introduced thousands of people to the beauties of the Sussex countryside and that has been an unexpected bonus. What I fervently hope is they will continue to keep going there when times are better and they will also be encouraged to go off the beaten track.