13 Valleys and 100 Vistas - Buttermere and Catbells

The 13 Valleys Ultra race is almost upon us. Starting this weekend in Keswick and offering races of 180, 110, 55 or 22 km to runners from across the country and the world. This has a gorgeous route, passing through some of the most beautiful areas of the Lake District.

I raced the inaugural event in 2023. The conditions were really tough but I survived it to finish first female.

It has great memories for me, running around some of my favourite spots in the Lakes and enjoying the support from the event team, the public and my family on the way round. The field was small and I enjoyed the peace and quiet compared to many of the road races that I have done in the past and some of the larger trail/ultra races ( London marathon totally did my head in!)

Following my completion of this race in 2023, I was inspired to work on a couple of paintings of what was probably my favourite view on this race route, looking down to Buttermere.

I have since added a couple of Catbells paintings, as one of the family favourites and a fell that I have frequently set out or returned on when looping back to Keswick. The views are amazing over Derwentwater. I capture here, the view from Walla Crag on the other side of the lake, to give the best profile of Catbells and the fells beyond.

All of these paintings can be see in more detail on the 13 Valleys gallery page

I'm sure the runners are going to have an amazing time. The weather's not looking too bad and hopefully they'll have good visibility and be able to witness the beauty of these fells.

No doubt, I will be inspired to put paint to canvas to capture some more of these vistas and more of these moments when we feel most alive.

Good luck if you're racing or supporting.

Elaine