Flight – 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.

This is Sutton Bank. Home of the Kilburn White Horse and the Yorkshire Gliding Club. From this point you can see for miles and miles, all across the Vale of York. This is about 10 miles into the Cleveland Way on my first day. I took little break in the shade watching the gliders, swifts and the white butterflies – everything in flight on an otherwise still and sultry day. There was only the hum of insects and the hum of the towing plane. I abandoned my warm sandwiches and bought a scoop of sorbet at the nearby visitors centre. The very best fuel for an overheated runner with a long way yet to go!