Our guides are top-notch. Many are locally sourced (arriving fresh and unblemished with minimal guide-miles), while others come from lofty seats of learning from afar. Keep an eye on this list, as we have more expert guides joining all the time...

Foraging

Dr Will Milliken. Will is an ethno-botanist from Kew gardens. He runs conservation projects in the Amazon and is the author of Flora Celtica: Plants and People in Scotland. Will is a world authority on the uses of plants and he makes an intriguing and inspiring walking companion.

Sam Lee is a trained wilderness survival expert as well as being one of the leading UK experts in traditional British folk songs (look at his club events: www.themagpiesnest.co.uk Expect a fascinating walk gathering wild food, singing Sussex folk songs and learning about the lore of the Downs.

Nick Weston may be familiar from Channel 4’s “Shipwrecked” series, in which he was one of the foraging experts. He is a trained cook and a wild food gourmet. Read his blog: http://huntergathercook.typepad.com. Nick is writing a book at the moment about living in a Sussex tree.

Rob Fallon is a bush-crafts and survival expert. He can track wild animals, build shelters, light fires with bow drills, and hunt and gather like a true Apache. Rob also teaches team-building and leadership skills.

Wild Flowers

Dr Phil Cribb was raised on the South Downs. He was Deputy Keeper of the Herbarium and Curator of the Orchid Herbarium at Kew gardens and he is an expert on Sussex wild flowers.

Peter Blee, a local botanist and photographer lives locally in Berwick - he knows the hills like no other, and is a bubbling enthusiast.

Birds

Charlie Peverett, “the birdman of Firle” is a passionate, charming and erudite ornithologist. A sort of latter-day St. Francis, he can help you identify the song of every bird and then find it in the woods and hedgerows. Look at his blog http://firlebirds.wordpress.com.

Archaeology and landscape history

Geoffrey Mead is a landscape historian from Sussex University. He’s well known for his walks around the Downs and the villages of the Weald bringing life to the archaeology, geology and social history of the area. He understands that no man walks on an empty stomach - so he'll show you the best of the downland village pubs too.

Peter Bidmead is an enthusiastic amateur archaeologist and local historian who is undertaking detailed archaeological research of the Cuckmere valley and surrounding downland; he is also a dab hand at flint work.

Chris Greatorex is a local archaeologist who has led digs on pre-historic long barrows, barrow-mounds, anglo-saxon burial sites and Roman villas around Firle and Litlington. He knows where the bodies lie.

Falconry

Brian Morris is the chairman of the British Hawking Association. He and his colleague, Paul Davies, teach how to handle hawks and falcons and is often seen flying his birds of prey on the thermals above Firle beacon. His birds are much in demand by local councils and gamekeepers for controlling pigeons, rooks, crows and pesky seagulls.

Landscape & Life Drawing

Chelsea Renton is a successful local artist specialising in drawing and sculpture. She teaches locally in Firle, at Charleston Farmhouse and South Downs College. Chelsea also runs life-drawing classes – her fit male-models are very popular with hen parties!