“Spring On The Sunken Path”

This path follows the top of the cliffs to a headland with wonderful views out to sea. The views are also good looking back inland: there's a picturesque Estuary, and East the rugged coastline disappears into the distance.

The vantage point that could launch a thousand landscape artworks, is Bolt Head in the South Hams, Devon, UK. It was the desstination I was walking to the day I saw this little cameo.

The walk was one of the most challenging I'd attempted because around every turn was a painting! I just had to keep stopping to collect reference material, and make sketches! It took me an age to get to the vantage point.

I could create a whole art collection from this one relatively short walk. Unfortunately the weather closed-in and I had to beat a retreat after reaching a monument on a prominent outcrop. You can see the clouds gathering in the painting.

I could have spent a whole week painting along this path, it was so scenic. I walked all the way out past Sharp Tor and Starehole Bay. The view east along the coast ended up in my sketchbook in a dozen compositional sketches.

The path, like the roads in the Devon, was sunken into the ground at first before popping out on the cliff tops.

I noticed cows standing quietly watching walkers pass, as though they were continually baffled by the strange behaviour of these two-legged creatures (and who can blame them?).

Spring flowers were blooming below the protective hedges, and new, bright spring leaves were beginning to show everywhere.

It struck me how lovely this moment on the walk was, and I set about recording it in the narrow lane. Walkers passed, and the cows patiently posed for me, kindly waiving their modelling fee.