River Esk, North Yorkshire

River Esk
The harbour and marina at Whitby, with the swing bridge in the middle ground and buildings surrounding the water
River Esk near its mouth at Whitby
Course of the Esk
Location
CountryEngland
CountiesNorth Yorkshire
TownsWhitby
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationThe Esklets near Westerdale
 • coordinates54°23′56″N 0°58′40″W / 54.3990°N 0.9779°W / 54.3990; -0.9779
 • elevation340 m (1,120 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
North Sea at Whitby
 • coordinates
54°29′33″N 0°36′44″W / 54.4925°N 0.6122°W / 54.4925; -0.6122
Length45 km (28 mi)
Basin size362 km2 (140 sq mi)[1]
Discharge 
 • locationSleights[2]
 • average4.8 m3/s (170 cu ft/s)[2]
 • maximum350 m3/s (12,000 cu ft/s)[1]
River Esk, North Yorkshire is located in North Yorkshire
Whitby
Whitby
Source
Source
Location of Source and Whitby within North Yorkshire

The River Esk is a river in North Yorkshire, England that empties into the North Sea at Whitby after a course of around 28 miles (45 km) through its valley of Eskdale. The river's name is derived from the Brythonic word "isca" meaning "water".[3] The Esk is the only major river in Yorkshire that flows directly into the North Sea; all other watercourses defined as being major rivers by the Environment Agency, either flow to the North Sea via the River Tees or the Humber Estuary.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference byelaw was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "27050 - Esk at Sleights". The National River Flow Archive. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  3. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 169, 171. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.