Rivers
The Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors are home to the sources of many of Yorkshire's major rivers and provide a habitat for many plants and animals as well as helping to form some spectacular features such as waterfalls. The rivers in the Yorkshire Dales our route passes near include the Wharfe, the Ure and the Swale and they are protected by the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust and in the North York Moors the River Esk flows into the sea at Whitby and the River Rye starts near Osmotherly, past Helsmley and Kirbymoorside and eventually joins the River Ouse. In the Dales many of the rivers have been so altered by flood defences that they provide little habitat, although restoration projects such as the Upper Wharf Restoration Project. Similarly in the North York Moors a new project Ryevitalise, which will help to restore some of the tranquil habitats of the River Rye, which in the past attracted monks to Rievaulx Abbey.
