This month’s ride with Nick Marks takes you around the eastern outskirts of Brighton and is split into three distinct stages, each about an hour, so you can decide how much you want to do. Each section is very rewarding in itself, but link them all up and you have a fantastically diverse ride that shows you many different facets of the city and its surrounding countryside.

stage one

1- Start at The Level and head up Elm Grove, past the allotments on your left.

Just past Bear Road join the track that runs parallel to the road and follow it as it peels away and runs along behind the back of Woodingdean. Continue all the way to the Falmer Road.

2 - Cross over the Falmer Road and go up and to your left, following a gravel track towards the large radio mast you can see on the top of Newmarket Hill. Go through a gate and follow the track down past the Castle Hill Nature Reserve until you reach another gate. Stop here.

3 - At this point you need to take the path that leads away on your left, almost doubling back. This path takes you down towards the A27. You’ll go through another gate, past a small plantation on your left, then down again until you reach a point where the path splits.

4 - Take the left path, following the blue bridle-path arrow, and drop steeply down through a wood before turning right, going under a railway line, and turning left again to follow the path that runs parallel to the A27.

5 - The path ends at a gate; go through and continue on up the road in front of you, which leads to a bridge over the main road. Cross over and turn left, following the cycle path all the way through Falmer, past Sussex University, until you get to the entrance to Stanmer Park.

stage two

6 - At this point you may have had enough. Getting back into Brighton is easy – just follow the Lewes Road. But if your legs want more, take the road up into Stanmer Park, following it through Stanmer village, and round to the left as it exits the village. The road then climbs up to meet the Ditchling Road at Upper Lodges.

7 - Cross over the road and enter the field in front of you, then head down across it. The exit gate is a bit up from the opposite corner, so keep high. Exit and follow the path to the right next to the A27. It turns from a narrow single-track path to a gravel trail, then becomes tarmac.

stage three

8 - At this point you can again rejoin the road and ride back into Brighton, but if you’re only just warming up you can of course carry on, following the lane round to the right, past some houses, and across the A23 by bridge – look for the house called “Woodsmill” and take a left there to find the bridge.

Once you’re over it follow the track round to the right, then turn sharp left and take the road that doubles back.

9 - You are now on Waterhall Road, which leads past an endless succession of playing fields, ending at a rugby club car park. A path leads up the hill through Waterhall Golf Course, ending up at the clubhouse car park.

10 - Head up to the main road, turn left and continue down to the roundabout. Go over the roundabout, and at the next roundabout take the second exit: Dyke Road.

11 - About 30 metres down Dyke Road you need to leave the tarmac again on the right – look for the bridleway sign. This track leads you down through a long thin park that turns into woodland, and finally deposits you in the north-east corner of Hove Park.

12 - At Hove Park you can join the National Cycle Network Regional Route 82 that takes you all the way down to the seafront. From there you can pedal easily back to the Palace Pier, where this ride comes to an end.

- Time: Three hours

- Difficulty: Moderate – nothing really technical or scary, but quite a few hills.

- Your bike: Fine for hybrids as long as it has been dry.

- Thirsty work: Stanmer Tea Rooms, Hove Park cafe.

- So you don’t get lost: OS map 122