The Rainbow Houses – Whitby (2026)

The Cleveland Way is one of the shorter national trails, beginning in Helmsley in North Yorkshire. The path takes you to the coast at Saltburn by the Sea, and then all along the coastal path to Filey Brigg. In May 2025 I ran the whole path over the course of a week. I was on my own for most of it, then joined by my best running friends at Whitby for the last couple of days. I carried a little running pack with everything I needed for the week on my back (I wasn’t camping!) and the smallest drawing kit in a pouch on my front. I stopped to draw whenever inspiration struck. I took photographs too, but mostly the paintings are based on the sketches.

After getting so thoroughly cold in Staithes I didn’t dare stop to draw again until I got to Whitby. My Grandpa Cole had a chalet on Dunster Beach in Somerset and it’s been in the family ever since. For four generations ‘the chalet’ is everyone’s favourite place. Because of our chalet I’ve always loved beach huts and these ones mark the beginning of Whitby to me. My friends daughter Emily calls them the rainbow houses apparently, hence the title. I like the view from behind them, where the bright colours are a little faded and they frame the sky and the piers.

Available as a signed limited edition print, hand-finished with gold leaf and gold thread. All prints are mounted and can be posted, unless purchased framed.