This is a list of current bridges and other crossings of the River Esk and are listed from source downstream to the river's mouth. The River Esk rises near Westerdale and is the combination of several small streams known as "Esklets". The river valley has been beset by serious flooding in 1828, 1880, and 1930. Several bridges were lost during the floods of 1930. Most of the railway bridges have numbers, rather than names according to the Engineer's Line Reference.
The river has been crossed by many fords although most are now not in everyday use. Some of these fords are referred to as a "wath", which is from the Old Norse vað meaning ford. Examples of this are at Briggswath, Hellawath (in Glaisdale), and Bluewath Beck (in Egton).
Source to Glaisdale Crossing Location Type Co-ordinates Date openedListing NotesRefOsseker Crook Bridge (Foot)WesterdaleFoot UnknownN/AUpper Esk Road bridgeWesterdaleRoad UnknownN/AOpened to replace traffic having to use Hunter's Sty Bridge adjacent to the eastHunter's Sty BridgeWesterdalePackhorse Scheduled monumentDibble BridgeCastletonRoad IIA bridge was mentioned at this location in 1301 and 1539, though the current bridge dates back to the early 18th century.Bow BridgeCastletonRoad 1873N/ABuilt in 1873 to replace a 13th-century bridge at the same locationHowe Wath BridgeAinthorpeRoad N/AAinthorpe BridgeAinthorpeRoad Early 19th centuryN/ARailway bridgeDanbyRailway2012N/ARailway was opened in October 1865, but the bridge replaced in 2012 by Network RailRailway bridgeDanbyRailway2012N/ARailway was opened in October 1865, but the bridge replaced in 2012 by Network RailDuck BridgeDanbyPackhorse See notesII*Unknown – largely rebuilt in 1717 by George Duck. Pevsner suggests a date of due to the coat of arms present on the bridge. Previous to its renovation by Duck, it was known as Danby Castle Bridge.Shackleton BridgeHoulsykeRoad N/AShackleton Bridge used to be on a north–south alignment; bridge and road were remodelled in the early 1950s, compare mapping from 1947 and 1951 in citations at NZ735074.Lealholm BridgeLealholmRoad Early 19th centuryIIHistoric England state the bridge was built at the turn of the 19th century; Pevsner states possibly 1755. A bridge at Lealholm was first mentioned in 1630.Railway viaduct (Bridge 72)Rake House (Glaisdale)Rail 1865Three-arch railway viaduct carrying the Esk Valley LineBridge 76ThorneywaiteRail 2012N/ARailway was opened in October 1865, but the bridge replaced in 2012 by Network RailCarr End Bridge (Bridge 80)GlaisdaleRail 2012N/ARailway was opened in October 1865, but the bridge replaced in 2012 by Network RailLimber Hill RoadGlaisdaleRoad N/AMapping from 1951 shows road still using Beggar's Bridge to the immediate south (see below) and the ford still in use. By 1954, a new bridge had been built over the area of the ford.Beggar's BridgeGlaisdaleFoot 1619II*Built by Thomas Ferris so that people living either side of the river could cross.Limber Hill (Bridge 81)GlaisdaleRail 1865 (partially reconstructed in 2012N/ALimber Hill wood (Bridge 82)GlaisdaleRail 1932N/AGirder bridge carrying the railway line; original stone bridge was built in 1865, washed away in the flood of 1930, replacement metal single-span girder bridge opened in May 1931, but that too was swept away in a flood of September 1931. Double girder bridge opened in December 1932Delves (Bridge 83)GlaisdaleRail 1865N/A
Egton to Whitby Crossing Location Type Co-ordinates Date openedListing NotesRefEgton BridgeEgton BridgeRoad N/AMetal bridge replacing a stone bridge washed away in the floods of 1930.Railway viaduct(Beckside Farm Bridge 90)Egton BridgeRail 1865N/AStone arch viaductFootbridgeGrosmontFoot UnknownN/AGrosmont BridgeGrosmontRoad Late 17th/early 18th centuryIIA three-arched road bridge, with the centre span being slightly higher than the adjoining two either side.Tramway bridgeGrosmontTramwayUnknownN/AThe bridge carried a tramway associated with the iron-workings in the area.Bridge 44GrosmontRailUnknownN/ARailway bridgeBridge 45GrosmontRailUnknownN/ARailway bridgeBridge 46GrosmontRailUnknownN/ARailway bridgeBridge 47Eskdaleside cum UgglebarnbyRailUnknownN/ARailway bridgeBridge 48Eskdaleside cum UgglebarnbyRailUnknownN/ARailway bridgeBridge 50Eskdaleside cum UgglebarnbyRailUnknownN/ARailway bridgeBridge 51Eskdaleside cum UgglebarnbyRailUnknownN/ARailway bridgeBridge 52Eskdaleside cum UgglebarnbyRailUnknownN/ARailway bridgeSleights road bridgeSleightsRoad 1937Replaced three-arch stone bridge that was washed away in the flood of 1930. Carries the A169 road.Sleights footbridgeSleightsFoot unknownN/AThis bridge is undated, however a ford and a bridge were here in 1230, when the village of Briggswath was named, meaning bridge-ford.Ruswarp viaductRuswarpRail UnknownN/AMapping from the 1850s shows the span as being a wooden viaduct, however, the current bridge has cast iron supports. Ruswarp bridgeRuswarpRoad 1937N/ASteelwork and other engineering carried out by Dorman Long. It replaced an earlier bridge at this location which had been lost to flooding.Larpool Viaduct (Esk Viaduct)WhitbyRail 1885II*Opened as part of the Scarborough and Whitby Railway, above the waterWhitby New BridgeWhitbyRoad 1980N/ACarries the A171 across the River Esk. Construction on the bridge started in 1978, with the concrete deck being pushed into place in September 1979. It was opened on 20 March 1980 by the Marquis of Normanby.Whitby Swing BridgeWhitbyRoad 1909N/ASwing bridge near the mouth of the River Esk in Whitby town.
Other crossings and abandoned bridges
Bow Bridge, was of a similar design to Hunter's Sty and Beggar's Bridge, but was destroyed in 1873 when the newer Bow Bridge was built. Dick Bridge; 1856 map shows a wooden bridge where Shackleton Bridge is now. Stepping stones at Walker's Wath. Ford at Lealholm, upstream of the road bridge. The site now also has stepping stones. Ford and footbridge at Rake Bridge; the ford used to be part of a track between Whitby and York via Glaisdale. Ford has been used well into the 21st century; a flood swept a car away from Rake's Bridge Ford in 2023. A bridge would have taken the Cleveland Extension Mineral Railway across the River Esk just to the east of the ford, footbridge and railway bridge at Rake House, but this was never built. The cuttings on approach to either side were dug out, but the scheme failed before major engineering works were undertaken. A ford is located at Rake Wath (). A wooden trestle bridge (at ) used to carry a tramway for the ironworks at Glaisdale. A ford at Glaisdale, to the north of Beggar's Bridge (at ), was used before the bridge was built. A set of stepping stones are located east of Egton Bridge, (at ). Mapping from 1880, shows Stang Bridge a wooden bridge at . Modern mapping shows a smaller bridge, slightly westwards at the point of an old ford. The ford at Sleights (by the footbridge at the railway station) was granted to Whitby Abbey in the early 13th century. The original road bridge at Sleights which was accessed by a level crossing at the west end of the station was washed away in the flood of 1930. It was replaced by a high-level bridge to the west which spans both the railway and the river, upstream. Between 1825 and 1828, a suspension bridge was built to the west of Ruswarp; this acted as a main crossing in the area, before a road bridge was built later by the railway station. Flooding brought down the suspension bridge. The original Whitby & Pickering Railway viaduct at Ruswarp was made from Baltic pine (imported through the Port of Whitby), and carried two tracks diagonally over the river for . An "iron road bridge" was built by the railway station at Ruswarp in 1873. It was lost in the flooding of 1930. A ford existed at Ruswarp where the road bridge is now. A small packhorse bridge (at ) is thought to be evidence of a ford across the river from Ruswarp to Larpool Lane. The river was altered to take a sharp meander out of its course when the railway was built in 1836. A ford at Bog Hall (Whitby) could be crossed at low water. The ford was part of an old track that connected both sides of the river. A bridge was spanning the harbour in Whitby in 1351, and another was rebuilt in stone in 1746, where the current 1909 swing bridge is.
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