Fell running and looking

We are coming up to the time of year that has some of my favourite fell races. The Mountain Trial, Three Shires fell race, Langdale Horseshoe. And then the Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) at the end of October. 

Over the past few weeks I have run the Borrowdale and Sedbergh Hills fell races. It was great to do these both again - the last time I ran Sedbergh was 2008 and Borrowdale 2006. 

Howgill fells

The Sedbergh Hills race is a 16 mile loop around the Howgills, which sit in eastern Cumbria. Confusingly about half of the land that makes up this stretch of hills are in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. I write in Adventures In Mind that I can understand why both the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria want to claim the Howgills as their own, they are wonderful, tranquil hills, stunningly beautiful. In 2011 The Guardian recognised this in an editorial where they argued for the creation of a new national park - Westmorland. When I read that I thought it was a pretty cool idea.

In my last blog I wrote about being inspired by Yorkshire, and that I am finding the landscapes of the north-western Yorkshire Dales particularly inspiring. The area around Great Shunner Fell, Mallerstang Edge, Wild Boar Fell and then further west to the Howgills really are an amazing and wild landscape - compared to the hordes that descend on some parts of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales there is no one there, even though they are just as beautiful. 

Whether the Howgills are in the Yorkshire Dales, Cumbria or Westmorland (I know it’s just us humans setting our own artificial boundaries), I can hardly wait to start painting them having taken a few photos after running the race at Sedbergh last weekend. Hopefully I will have my current on-the-go painting finished in a few days and then I can get cracking.

Painting on the go - Looking to Little Whernside from the Cam Gill road

I did not have a very good race at last week. My legs felt heavy and I was tired. After a few miles I resolved to chill out a little, to enjoy the run and the scenery. The views of the hills and valleys were amazing. Fast moving clouds from the west meant the light constantly changed, time and again I marvelled at the view and massively regretted not bringing a camera - I had decided one was too big to squeeze into my racing bumbag. 

I can still see one particular scene in my head, it is kind of haunting me. As I followed the race route, climbed steeply out of the Langdale valley, looking south towards the summit of The Calf (the highest of the Howgill fells) I looked up Middle Grain. On the map this valley is small and indescript. Looking up to it from the side of Hazlegill Knott, as I climbed the steep hillside it was absolutely stunning; the texture and colour of the fells caused by shadow and the dappled summer light was amazing.  I was so cross I did not have my camera. I could hardly bear to look at it as the light changed further and the scene changed again - the colours got even more intense - golden browns, greens and yellows. I know in my minds’ eye this scene will be closer to perfect than it actually was last Sunday but I also know how much I would love to paint it. 

Middle Grain is in the middle

Some people may suggest I paint the valley from memory as I have not got a photograph. I am not sure whether I could do it any kind of justice if I tried. What I do know is that I am going to have to head back to the Howgills again soon to try and capture that scene so I can attempt to paint it. If I don’t it will keep bothering me. To some degree my obsession with mountains seems to have moved on from trying to nail races over them to trying to capture their beauty.