Day 2 of my Cumbria trip last week.
I drove from Printfest at Ulverton to St Bees on the west coast of Cumbria. It's the start of the Coast to Coast walk. A 188 mile walk from St Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea. The walk crosses the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.
I'd been asked by a friend that's done the walk if, I'd create a linocut of St Bees. As I was over that way, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit. I was blessed with fine weather for the 11 mile walk along St Bees Head.
When I left the tide was in and on the way back, the tide far out. I love the colour of the different types of stones that make up the beach and the layers of strata that make up the red sandstone cliff face.
The start of the Coast to Coast walk.
Fleswick Bay and the lighthouse at North Head.
This stretch of red sandstone cliffs is a RSPB Nature Reserve and home to the only breeding Black Guillemots in England.
Views towards Whitehaven.
Views towards Ennerdale and Buttermere.
At this point I left the Coast to Coast path and took a footpath back to St Bees.
The Church of St Mary and St Bega.
Back in St Bees the tide was out.
I'll be using this walk as inspiration for a new linocut print. So watch this space!
The walk is an 8 miles loop around St Bees Head and taken from the green Pathfinder Guide - More Lake District Walks.
Read day 3 of my Cumbria blog with a walk around Ennerdale Water and a cycle ride around Ennerdale and Loweswater in my Ennerdale blog.
Update August 19
St Bees, Cumbria, hand printed linocut.
Limited edition linocut print. Edition of 60
Mounted £90 / Framed £120
See more photos and details about St Bees linocut print here. See my online shop to order.
Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire Coast, hand printed linocut.
Limited edition linocut print. Edition of 60
Mounted £90 / Framed £120
See more photos and details about Robin Hood's Bay linocut print here. See my online shop to order.
About the author
Michelle Hughes is a North Yorkshire landscape artist. Much of her work depicts the Yorkshire landscape and Yorkshire coast, including the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.
Michelle loves exploring the British countryside by bike or on foot, camera in hand, capturing ideas for her next linocut prints. Back in her garden studio, Michelle creates simple but stylised silhouettes based on her photographs, and hand carves these shapes into lino. She hand prints with an etching press, using oil-based inks to create tonal blocks of colour.
Michelle’s original linocut prints are limited editions.