The River Esk (), also known as the Border Esk, is a river that rises in the Scottish region of

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the no ...

before crossing the border to the English county of

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

and flowing into the

Solway Firth The Solway Firth is an inlet on the west coast of Great Britain, forming part of the border between England and Scotland. The firth (a Scottish term for an inlet of the sea) divides Cumbria (including the Solway Plain) from Dumfries and Gallow ...

Course

The river rises in the hills to the east of

Moffat Moffat is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire. Part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland, it lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. Moffat is arou ...

and its two main tributaries, the Black Esk and the White Esk, merge at the southern end of Castle O'er Forest. It flows south east through Eskdale past

Langholm Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. Langholm lies between four hills in the valley of the River Esk in the Southern Uplands. Location and geography Langholm sits n ...

. Near Langholm the river is crossed by the

Duchess Bridge The Duchess Bridge is a cast iron footbridge over the River Esk in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It was built for Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch by William Keir Junior of Millholm to replace a dilapidated wooden bridge in the ...

which is said to be the oldest iron bridge in Scotland. The Esk merges with

Liddel Water Liddel Water is a river running through southern Scotland and northern England, for much of its course forming the Anglo-Scottish border, border between the two countries, and was formerly one of the boundaries of the Debatable Lands. Liddel ...

(which defines the border between

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

). Before passing Longtown the river enters England and merges with the

River Lyne The River Lyne is a river of Cumbria in England. The river is formed near the hamlet of Stapleton, Cumbria, Stapleton, five miles west of Bewcastle, by the confluence of the Black Lyne (moving from the north) and the White Lyne (from northeast) ...

and enters the Solway Firth near the mouth of the River Eden. It was formerly one of the boundaries of the

Debatable Lands The Debatable Lands, also known as debatable ground, batable ground or threip lands,. lay between Scotland and England. It was formerly in question as to which it belonged to when they were distinct kingdoms. For most of its existence, the area ...

as marked by the

Scots' Dike The Scots' Dike or dyke is a three and a half mile / 5.25 km long linear earthwork, constructed by the English and the Scots in 1552Mack, James Logan (1926). ''The Border Line'', p.94. Oliver & Boyd to mark the division of the Debatable ...

Tributaries

The various tributaries of the Esk are described proceeding downstream. The White Esk arises as the Glendearg and Tomleuchar burns merge then flow south through Eskdalemuir Forest capturing the waters of the Garwald Water at Garwaldwaterfoot then continuing by the village of

Eskdalemuir Eskdalemuir is a civil parish and small village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, with a population of 265.

into Castle O'er Forest. It is followed by the B709 road for much of its course. The headwaters of the Black Esk feed into the Black Esk Reservoir, from the foot of whose dam, the Black Esk flows south to Sandyford where it is crossed by the B723 road. It then turns sharply east then southeast passing Castle O'er on its way to meet with the White Esk to form the River Esk. The Meggat Water (not to be confused with Megget Water) is a left bank tributary of the Esk which rises at the southern margin of

Craik Forest Craik Forest is a forest near Hawick in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and managed by the Forestry Commission. It is adjoined to the south-west by Eskdalemuir Forest. See also * Craik, Scottish Borders *Ettrick Forest * Wauchope Forest ...

and flows south, being joined by the Stennies Water before its confluence with the Esk. The Ewes Water is a significant left bank tributary of the Esk which enters the latter at Langholm. Its headwaters, the Eweslees, Mosspaul and Carewoodrig Burns merge and flow southwards as the Ewes Water for several miles, being joined by numerous further burns, the most significant of which is the Meikledale Burn. The valley of the Ewes Water is followed by the

A7 road A7, A.7, A 7, A07 or A-7 may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * A7, the A dominant seventh chord used in many rock songs, see dominant seventh chord * A (musical note) * ''A7'' (mixtape), by SCH, 2015 * Avenged Sevenfold, a hard rock/meta ...

from Carlisle to Edinburgh and by an electricity transmission line. Wauchope Water is a right bank tributary of the Esk which joins immediately downstream from the Ewes Water confluence. It arises as the Logan Water and Bigholms Burn meet southwest of Langholm. The Tarras Water is a left bank tributary of the Esk which joins it south of Langholm. The

is a major tributary which enters on the left bank between Canonbie and Longtown. It forms the boundary between Scotland and England for a while as does its tributary, the Kershope Burn. The

enters on the left bank at Lynefoot just above the normal tidal limit of the estuarial section of the Esk. The

River Sark The River Sark or Sark Water is a river forming part of the western border between Scotland and England. Most of its length is entirely in Scotland. It flows into the estuary of the River Esk just south of Gretna. History The Scots defeated ...

and the

Kirtle Water The Kirtle Water is a river in Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland. It rises on the southern slopes of Haggy Hill where its headwaters are impounded to form Winterhope Reservoir. Below the dam it flows in a generally southerly direction pas ...

enter the tidal estuary of the Esk to the east and west of Gretna respectively. See main articles on each of these and some of their tributaries.

References

External links

Photo of the Esk entering Solway Firth - Getty Images
{{authority control Esk Esk