Whitby Whale Bones – Card

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.

From the beach huts I zigzagged up the paths to the North Promenade and West Cliff. Some very kind people had offered me a bed on the Royal Crescent so I dropped my pack and pootled around Whitby, waiting for my running girls to join me.
The Whale bones framing this view is one of the most iconic images of Whitby. The gull is looking at Tate sands and the 199 Steps leading to St Mary's Church and the Abbey. He is probably thinking about chips.