It’s easy to think the best thing to see from the South Downs is the view, but Valdy Krige from Sussex Eco Trails disagrees. He is more interested in looking at the ground when he walks.

Valdy takes groups on guided tours around Devil’s Dyke, explaining about the local environment as they walk through it, such as examples of wildlife and plants, what’s edible, what’s not, which animals feed on what, and how it all fits in the ecosystem.

He says: “There’s also a lot of local history in the area. You can’t take two steps without finding something historical, so we look for signs in the landscape, old pylons or earthworks from the Bronze Age or hill forts from the Iron Age. Whatever we find in the landscape we talk about.”

Each walk is different, sometimes covering mythology such as how the Downs were created in folklore, sometimes covering geology, such as how the area came to be grassland instead of forest. And they are seasonally dependent, with spring walks focusing on new season blooms and summer walks spotting butterflies and other creatures.

Before moving to Brighton, Valdy was a game ranger in South Africa, guiding groups on safari to see large animals like lions and elephants.

He sees nothing less exciting about guiding on the South Downs.

“It’s the same, just minus the large animals. Often in the mornings on safari we would do a bush walk but most of the game ran away, so we’d talk about little things – tracks, birds, plants.”

He says people are initially sceptical about why they should pay to walk on the Downs when they can do it free of charge, but what they are getting is a better understanding of their surroundings.

“When people do the walk they really love it,” he says. “They become so enthusiastic about the landscape.”

* Visit www.guidedwalkssouthdowns.co.uk