Kate Lycett

Ever the best of intentions – this blog is a few months late. The trouble is there’s always painting to do, and I’d always rather do that. However, after 3 days of messy play with oils and cold wax (Paula Dunn’s workshop – it was wonderful), I’m settling down to an admin day.

So – one of my goals for this year was to run the Cleveland Way with a sketchbook. I did it back in May and I loved it! I live with my husband and three children so time alone is a rare thing. I generally send everyone away for a week in the summer and I know that after 4 days the world becomes a little drab and I start to miss them. It was the ‘being on my own’ element of this little adventure that I wasn’t sure about. It turns out that having only myself to worry about was very liberating and I’d like to do more!

The Cleveland Way is one of the National Trails. One of the shorter ones at 109 miles. It starts in Helmsley. Heads towards the coast at Saltburn on Sea. And then follows the coastal path all the way to Filey Brig. I ran it over the course of a week. I could have done it much quicker, but wanted to be able to stop and draw, and not have to worry about getting to the next place. I wanted to enjoy it!

Day 1 Dan waved me off in Helmsley early on a sunny Monday morning. I had a change of running kit, shorts to sleep in, and waterproof, warm, windproof layers in case the weather turned. A bank card, a phone, some revolting sandwiches, water, suncream, a map, and a very carefully chosen minimal drawing kit:

I had an OMM map pouch on my front so I didn’t have to take my pack off to get to my drawing things. I knew I wouldn’t stop as often if I had to faff around.

Day one was HOT. By the time I got to Sutton Bank it was that still, sultry kind of heat. I watched the gliders and ate my now body temperature salami and hummus wraps. Don’t judge me – it was all we had in the fridge and they were as disgusting as they sound.

Highlights from day one were Rievaulx Abbey, Sutton Bank and the North York Moors. My rattly running pack was heavy, despite my careful packing (it doesn’t matter how low you drop your standards, water is always weighty) and distractingly noisy. About 10 miles in I resorted to a play list and not being able to hear my pack made me less aware of it and I started to really enjoy myself.

The moors were tinder dry – the heather was sun scorched. I wasn’t at all surprised by the moorland fires that raged in August. I didn’t see a soul running north along the edge of the moor. I was entirely alone and it was lovely! By the time I arrived at the YH in Osmotherly I’d run 25.5 miles and needed about 5 cups of tea.

Day 2 was very lumpy! It was another hot one and seemed an endless series of steep ups and steep downs, none of them very runnable. It was only 14 miles, but only two of them were nice. Day 2 was my unfavourite bit.

But my Airbnb was beautiful; hidden (I got so lost trying to find it) in bluebell woods. I sat on the doorstep in the sunshine and worked on my drawings from the last two days. In the morning I was woken by a cuckoo…

This is one of the paintings – very nearly finished. It’s going to be called ‘Flight’. For the gliders, the swifts and the butterflies:

Day 3 was cold and gloomy, but once I’d climbed up on the ridge I had about 10 glorious miles of flat foggy moorland. Captain Cook’s Monument and Roseberry Topping were in the distance.

I did not enjoy climbing Roseberry Topping. I do not like heights and I am a wuss. I went up it looking at my feet, and came down like a crab. It’s pretty though. I like the view of it rather than the view from it. I feel that way about the sea too.

I spent the night in a less friendly Airbnb in Great Ayton, where everything was grey and I couldn’t cook anything. There was a lovely view of Roseberry Topping the next day though, as I was making my way back to the route. I liked the way the windswept pine and the peak made an arc.

I’ve been working on these paintings: still plenty to do…

I seem to be painting chronologically, though it wasn’t my plan. It just seems to make sense to remember the light and the colour for each day. I’ve almost painted 7 pictures so far, and I’m only on day 3. They’re all quite small which is making a refreshing change after the Calderdale epic! I’m working on several at once because I can fit them on my desk!