River Esk (Ravenglass)

In his book The Origins Of English Place Names, P. H. Reaney says that the river's name is derived from the Brythonic word *Iska ("abounding in fish") and cognate with the modern Welsh word Pysg ("fishes"). This derivation applies to many similarly named rivers throughout Britain including the Axe, Exe and Usk, the names evolving local distinctions over the centuries.

The Esk is, in part, paralleled by the narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and as a consequence the railway has named one of its steam locomotives after the river.

Course

The Esk rises in the Scafells range of mountains at a height of 740 metres (2,430 ft), just below Esk Hause, the mountain pass between the fells of Great End and Esk Pike. The infant river then flows southerly through wild and picturesque countryside, devoid of any road access. It receives many streams flowing off the Scafell range, the most significant of which are Calfcove Gill and Little Narrowcove Beck. The river makes several leaps over waterfalls including the Esk Falls before being joined by its first major tributary, Lingcove Beck, at Lingcove Bridge.

Some 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) downstream of Lingcove Bridge, the river passes Brotherilkeld Farm, which formerly belonged to the monks of Furness Abbey, and the nearby Hardknott Roman Fort. At this point the Esk is joined by the Hardknott Beck, which is accompanied by the motor road that has crossed Hardknott Pass on its route from the central Lake District to the sea. The river now flows westerly through the farmland of Eskdale, roughly paralleled by the road.

A further 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) downstream of Brotherilkeld Farm, the church of St Catherine lies on the riverbank. This serves the small village of Boot, although the actual village lies 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) north on the bank of the Whillan Beck. This significant tributary joins the Esk just downstream, at Beckfoot, and is the outflow from Burnmoor Tarn. For about the next 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) the Esk is paralleled by the narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, before both the railway and the principal road turn north through the village of Eskdale Green and a route west via the valley of the River Mite.

The river, however, continues in a south westerly direction on the southern side of Muncaster Fell. Here it passes Hinning House bridge, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Ravenglass where the river becomes tidal, and Muncaster Bridge, where it passes under the A595 coast road and takes on an estuarial character. The estuary then passes the grounds of Muncaster Castle and under the Cumbrian Coast railway line on Eskmeals Viaduct before turning north to reach Ravenglass and the Irish Sea.

At Ravenglass, the Esk estuary is joined by the rivers Irt and Mite. The estuary has evolved over the centuries; the Esk and Irt were earlier separated by a shingle bank formed by the sea, and dunes formed when they eventually joined together. The estuary dunes are the location of the Eskmeals nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) over an area of 165.5 acres (67 hectares). The SSSI is made up of mostly coastal dunes and salt marsh attracting breeding birds and a profusion of flowers. The dunes are also the site of the Eskmeals Range, a shooting range owned by the MOD and operated by the contractor Qinetiq.