Egton Bridge

Many thanks to The Horseshoe Hotel for facilitating this camera's location and to the Esk Fishing Association for capitally funding the installation. The River Esk, Yorkshire's premier salmon and sea trout river, rises between Baysdale and Westerdale in an area known as Esklets (251 m above sea level). Its 28 mile (45 km) course sees it flow through the North York Moors National Park to its eventual meeting with the North Sea in Whitby. The catchment is comprised almost wholly within the North York Moors National Park encompassing wild heather moorland, deep verdant valleys and beautiful stone built villages. The Yorkshire Esk is home to a variety of wildlife which live in and around the river, and rely on it to survive, including; Atlantic salmon, sea trout, native brown trout, grayling, brook lamprey, sand martins, dippers, kingfishers, water voles and otters which are found in increasing numbers. The Esk is also the only river in Yorkshire, and one of only seven in England, that contains the fascinating endangered freshwater pearl mussel. The Yorkshire Esk and associated coastal streams are situated almost entirely within the North York Moors National Park which contains the largest expanse of heather moorland in England and Wales. The River Esk catchment and associated ecosystems are of considerable importance, with much of the North York Moors designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and European Special Protection Area for nesting ground birds such as merlin and golden plover.