The River Esk

Streams in the northern half of the Park flow into the River Esk.

This river begins high on the moors at a place called Esklets at the top of a valley called Westerdale.

Tiny trickles join together to form a stream that gets wider and deeper as it flows eastwards until it reaches the sea at Whitby.

The River Esk supplies drinking water for the villages along the Esk valley and for the town of Whitby and it also provides water for the farms along the valley.

The River Esk also provides a home for a variety of important wildlife including salmon, trout, kingfisher, dipper, otter and the freshwater pearl mussel. Click here to find out more about river wildlife.

The freshwater pearl mussel used to be common throughout Britain but it is now in danger of becoming extinct.  The River Esk is one of only a small number of rivers where pearl mussels can still be found. The National Park Authority has set up a project to help the pearl mussels, click here to find out more.

The National Park Authority is working with farmers, landowners and fishing clubs to carry out improvements along the rivers that will benefit fish, other wildlife and local people.

You can see The River Esk from the grounds of The Moors Centre, a National Park Visitor Centre near Danby.