Esk, River (Cumbria, England)

The River Esk, sometimes called the Cumbrian Esk, is a river in Cumbria, England. It flows for approximately 25 km (15.5 miles) from its source in the Scafells range of mountains to its estuary at Ravenglass. The valley it flows through is known as Eskdale. It is one of two Rivers Esk in Cumbria, and not to be confused with the Border Esk which flows into Cumbria from Scotland. 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.