Paintings that follow the route of Le Tour Yorkshire

Leeds Town Hall

It has been a while since I last wrote a blog. I have been busy doing a fair few things. In between I have been getting out and about plenty running and biking over my home hills in Wharfedale and further afield. 

Holme Moss from Bleaklow

Keeping with the theme of my last couple of blogs I have really been inspired by wonderful scenery of Yorkshire and with the route of next year’s Le Tour Yorkshire. So much so I have started to do lots of little paintings of the scenery and landmarks that are alongside or close to the route of the first two days of the 2014 Tour de France, I have included a few of them in this blog post. 

Red Kite above Harewood

I have been really enjoying this - the paintings vary but all have a theme of Yorkshire and beautiful places within it. I think I will probably always be biased and paint more moorland and mountain scenes - reflecting my personality I suppose - but I have also enjoyed spreading my wings a little and painting different things like a Red Kite, the clock tower of Leeds Town Hall and the famous arches of Fountains Abbey.   

Fountains Abbey

I am planning to do something book related with these paintings so if you like them please watch this space and keep an eye on my website, there will be more to come over the next couple of weeks! 

Buttertubs

Aside from the painting I have been racing or at least trying to race! Last weekend I was over in the Lake District intending to race the classic navigational fell race the Lake District Mountain Trial which this year was due to start from Borrowdale Youth Hostel. Unfortunately the weather was so bad the organisers had to cancel - we went for a run anyway and completely agreed with their decision, the wind as we approached Sty Head Tarn almost blew us off our feet plenty of times and the heavy rain was persistently really heavy, all in all a grim day to be on the fells. 

Cow and Calf

Next weekend it’s the Rab Mountain Marathon. It’s the first time I have done this event, normally the last weekend in September (when I have not either been pregnant or looking after a very small baby which has been the case the last couple of years) I have been racing the fantastic Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross (and good luck to everyone racing it next weekend!). The next time I race the ‘Peaks it will be my 10th go but that's not this year, hopefully next weekend the weather will be kinder than it was last week in both the Dales and the Lake District as the Rab is taking place over the north-west Lakeland fells, starting from the Newlands Valley. I have many favourite parts of the Lake District but this is certainly one of them and I am really looking forward to it.