ALMOST unnoticed, Britain has developed a massive new transport network, covering thousands of miles and largely crossing some of the most fabulous countryside within our shores.
Very few parts of Britain have been untouched and millions of journeys use this network each year.
What am I talking about?
The proliferation of long-distance footpaths that have sprung up all over the country, passing through almost every corner of the country and celebrating landscape types, historical events, geology and even our literary past.
Chances are that if you are a keen walker, you will have tried at least a small stretch of one of these footpaths.
How many of you have completed or harboured ambitions of completing our nearest long distance footpath, the South Downs Way?
This is one of the most heavily used of all the National Trails, which are looked after by the Countryside Agency.
The National Trails are like the motorways of footpaths, very well signposted, rigorously maintained and very popular among walkers.
During the peak walking season of May-September, some trails like the Pennine Way or Cotswold Way can resemble conveyor belts of walkers.
This can cause a lot of stress on the countryside and some trails, notably the Pennine Way, have tried to address this by surfacing the more vulnerable stretches with hard-wearing materials such as flagstones.
Away from the National Trails, there are dozens of other paths that have been developed either semi-officially by local authorities or the Ramblers Association or by individuals and local groups.
Sussex itself is crossed by several waymarked paths and in most cases these are promoted by local authorities and backed up by signage helping walkers navigate the route.
If you haven't made a New Year's resolution yet, why not try a long-distance footpath and explore the countryside?
All it takes is some average fitness and a little forward planning.
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