🏞️ Eskdale, North Yorkshire

Eskdale is a valley running west to east from Westerdale on the North York Moors to Whitby on the Yorkshire Coast of England. Formed during the last major ice age, it has a classic U-shaped valley formation caused by the action of glaciers carving away the rock. Eskdale is named after its river, which in Celtic means "water" or "stream". The dale carries the River Esk from the "Esklets" above Westerdale to the sea at Whitby. The tops of its steep-sided valleys are noted for their heather moorland, whilst below the land is mainly split between pasture for cows and Swaledale sheep and arable crops such as oilseed rape.