River Esk, North Yorkshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River Esk |
|
|---|---|
River Esk near its mouth at Whitby
|
|
Course of the Esk
|
|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Country within the UK | England |
| Counties | North Yorkshire |
| Towns | Whitby |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | The Esklets near Westerdale 340 m (1,120 ft) 54°23′56″N 0°58′40″W / 54.3990°N 0.9779°W |
| River mouth | North Sea at Whitby 54°29′33″N 0°36′44″W / 54.4925°N 0.6122°W |
| Length | 45 km (28 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 362 km2 (140 sq mi) |
The River Esk is a river in North Yorkshire, England. It flows into the North Sea at Whitby. The river is about 45 kilometres (28 mi) long. It runs through a valley called Eskdale, which is named after the river itself. The Esk is special because it's the only big river in Yorkshire that flows straight into the North Sea. Other major rivers in Yorkshire join the River Tees or the Humber Estuary first.
Contents
About the River Esk
The River Esk is very clean and healthy. This is because it flows through mostly countryside areas. Many animals and plants live here.
Wildlife in the Esk
The river is home to lots of wildlife.
- Salmon swim upstream to lay their eggs. Special "fish leaps" help them get over small dams called weirs. You can see these at Ruswarp and Sleights.
- Sea trout are also common near Whitby.
- The Esk is the only river in Yorkshire with freshwater pearl mussels. These mussels are very rare and are protected. They are threatened by too much silt (mud) in the river.
Where the River Starts and Flows
The River Esk begins high up on Westerdale Moor in the North York Moors. It starts as three small streams called the Esklets. These streams join together in Westerdale to form the main river.
As the Esk flows, many smaller streams, called becks, join it. These include Tower, Baysdale, Sleddale, Danby, Great Fryup, Stonegate, Glaisdale, and Murk becks. The river then flows east through Eskdale. It passes through villages like Sleights and Ruswarp. Finally, it reaches the North Sea at Whitby.
Crunkly Ghyll: A Special Valley
Near Lealholm, the river flows through a narrow, wooded valley called Crunkly Ghyll. Here, the river drops about 30 metres (98 ft) very quickly. This valley was formed during the last Ice Age. A huge wall of ice carved out the Esk Valley. When the ice melted, the river forced its way through, creating the deep ravine you see today.
Protecting the Fish
The River Esk Fishing Rules
Since 1987, there have been special rules to protect salmon and sea trout in the River Esk. These rules are called the River Esk Tideway Byelaw 1987. A byelaw is a local law. This byelaw stops people from fishing for salmon and sea trout in the part of the river between Ruswarp and Whitby. This area is called the tideway because the ocean tides affect it.
The rules were put in place because the number of salmon and sea trout was getting very low. Before the byelaw, many fish were caught illegally. After the rules started, the number of salmon caught further upstream by legal fishing went up. For example, in 1965, 924 salmon were caught by rods. By 1989, this dropped to only 11. But after the byelaw, the number increased to 177 by 2010. These rules have been extended several times to keep protecting the fish.
Fun on the River
Boating and Water Sports
The lower parts of the River Esk are great for boating. You can see boats in the harbour areas of Whitby. This area is also used by commercial ships and fishing boats. Many marinas (places to park boats) are on the east side of the river near the North Sea.
You can also go canoeing and kayaking on the Esk. Popular spots are between Houlsyke and Egton Bridge, Egton and Sleights, and Ruswarp and Whitby.
Fishing
Local fishing groups have access to about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) of riverside for fishing. Most of these areas are not open to the public.
Bridges Over the Esk
The River Esk has many interesting bridges.
- Beggars Bridge at Glaisdale is an old, high-arched bridge from the 1600s. It was used by packhorses.
- The Bowstring road bridge is at Ruswarp.
- The Larpool Viaduct is a large railway bridge between Ruswarp and Whitby.
- The A171 road bridge and the famous swing bridge are in Whitby town. The swing bridge opens to let boats pass through.
Many bridges in the valley had to be rebuilt after big floods in 1828, 1880, and 1930. The current bowstring bridge in Ruswarp was built in 1933 after the old one was washed away.
River Esk and Industry
The River Esk was not used much for big ships, except around Whitby harbour. Whitby was once famous for its whaling industry and building ships. Coal was mined in Eskdale, but not enough for the local industries, so more coal was brought in from other areas. Rope-making factories were also common around the harbour, supporting the shipbuilding industry. Most of these industries stopped by the time of the First World War.
Near Boghall and Larpool, the river was moved in 1833 to make way for a railway line. This area also had a factory that processed whale blubber, which was said to smell terrible!
Further upstream at Ruswarp, there were mills that used the river's power to grind corn. The first mill was built in 1752. The last one stopped being used in 1962. In 2012, a new hydro-electric plant was built there. It uses the river's flow to create clean energy for the local area.
Today, Whitby is still important for fishing, especially for whitefish. The port also handles commercial goods like fertilizers, steel, and potash.
The Penny Hedge: A Local Story
Every year, on the day before Ascension Day (38 days after Easter Sunday), a special ceremony takes place at 9:00 am in Whitby harbour. This ceremony celebrates the planting of the Penny Hedge.
This tradition comes from an old story from 1159. Three noblemen were hunting boar in the Eskdale woods. A boar ran into a chapel, but an old hermit living there wouldn't let the men in. The men got angry and killed him. Before he died, the hermit forgave them. But he said they had to do a special task every year. They had to plant a hedge made of hazel wood in the River Esk at Whitby. This hedge had to survive three tides.
The hedge had to be cut with a "penny-knife" and planted exactly as the hermit said. If they didn't do it, their lands would be taken by Whitby Abbey. Since it was part of the hermit's forgiveness, not doing it could have meant they faced serious charges. This tradition has been carried out every year since (according to records), except for 1981, when the tide was too high to build the hedge.
Towns and Villages Along the Esk
Here are the main settlements along the River Esk, from where it starts to where it meets the sea:
- Westerdale
- Castleton
- Ainthorpe
- Danby
- Lealholm
- Glaisdale
- Egton Bridge
- Grosmont
- Sleights
- Aislaby
- Briggswath
- Ruswarp
- Whitby
(The river then flows into the North Sea)
The Esk Valley Walk is a walking path that follows part of the river's length.
Images for kids
-
A friendly robot
See also
In Spanish: Río Esk para niños
