Brighton and Hove Way: Foredown Tower and Portslade Old Village to Brighton Palace Pier, with history to explore and lots to see and do en route

This penultimate section starts at Foredown Tower and takes you through Portslade Old Village to Hove Lagoon, then along the seafront to Brighton. There is still much nature to enjoy but this is very different to the hilly countryside sections, with more of a focus on history and the coast.

The Brighton and Hove Way was launched in April 2017 and so far, I have completed three sections, starting with Saltdean Lido to Woodingdean, then Woodingdean to Stanmer Park, and the 10-mile hike from Stanmer Park to Foredown Tower in Portslade.

Anyone who has been following my journey so far will know it has not been easy! It has been quite the adventure – and I have loved finding new ways to walk with some incredible views that I've encountered for the first time.

Founded with the support of City Parks, the route through the South Downs National Park is promoted by the Brighton & Hove Way Association and it was the chairman who encouraged me to follow the walk. I planned it in sections, using the official map and what I thought would be the best ways to access the buses.

I returned to Foredown Tower for the start of this section, where I enjoyed the last of the countryside views before turning to look down to the sea, thinking of all the excitement to come. Just south of the tower is a diagonal path through the field which takes you to Fox Way. Cross the road and carry on down the footpath opposite, then continue in the same direction through Blackthorn Close and on through a bridleway in Brackenbury Close that you follow down and round to the right to bring you out at Drove Road.

Just down from here is the Emmaus Brighton & Hove secondhand superstore, a fabulous place to visit to shop and to explore some of the history of Portslade Old Village. Here, you will find the ruins of Portslade's Medieval Manor House, which was built in 1130, shortly after the Norman Conquest. The Cafe@Emmaus has some of the history of the site on the walls, which you can read while enjoying breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea.

Our route takes us right around the outside of the Emmaus site. Go past the entrance and follow the wall round to the left, down a passageway to St Nicolas' Church. Continue through the churchyard to Manor Road then turn left to go past the southern part of Emmaus, where Manor Road turns left. Continue along past this junction until you come to Easthill Park on your right.

Easthill Park sits on the edge of Portslade Old Village. Set in the grounds of Easthill House, the park has a walled garden that provides a peaceful place to sit and if, like me, you carry a flask of coffee, it's the perfect place to stop for a cuppa. The walled garden is behind the house on the north side. Our route takes us round to the southern side of the house and on down, past the play area, to exit through Park Close.

At the end of the close, turn left into Highlands Road, then right at the end into Foredown Drive. There is a pedestrian crossing to get you safely over to Southern Cross Recreation Ground, also known as Victoria Park. Follow the path down the eastern side of the field to Portslade Bowls Club, where you turn left into Victoria Road. Go past Portslade Town Hall and look for a path beside Rivervale, which will take you to a tunnel under the railway line.

Out the other side, cross Vale Road to continue down Gordon Road, heading towards the Tesco car park. Just the other side of the car park exit is a footpath which you follow round to Boundary Road. I really enjoyed seeing the old flint wall here!

At Boundary Road is a plethora of shops, bars and cafés, so plenty of choices if you fancy a stop off. Our route takes us over the traffic lights into New Church Road, which you need to follow on past St Leonard's Church. Carry on until you come to Saxon Road on your right. Turn down here and then left into Aldrington Recreation Ground to follow the path that runs parallel to New Church Road. There is a lovely big play area and a café here. At the end of the path, turn right into Wish Road and follow it down to the coast.

You need to cross the A259 Kingsway to get over to Hove Lagoon and carry on down to the seafront promenade. Now it is just a case of walking to Brighton Pier. It may sound easy but it is still about an hour's walk to go! And there is so much to see and do along the way, it may well take you a lot longer. Stick to the lower level to be as close as you can to the boundary, of course.

Enjoy Jonathan Wright's Constellation sculpture, with iconic features of Hove set on their own solar system model. Head on to the Brighton i360, marvel at the Upside Down House, see the ruins of the West Pier and maybe pop into the free Brighton Fishing Museum. There are lots of lovely little shops to visit and plenty of places to stop for an ice cream.

Brighton seafront is just a hive of activity! Eventually, a slope guides you up to the entrance to Brighton Palace Pier and here is where we end this penultimate section of the Brighton and Hove Way. My phone recorded a journey of seven miles, which seems impossible to believe! Maybe that covers walking around the Manor House and exploring other delights on route, because Google Maps suggests its more like five-and-a-half miles. What I particularly enjoyed on this section was exploring Old Portslade and the vibrancy of the seafront.