THE ESK DISTRICT. 1 87 



Sleddale, the dale of the north-west branch of the Esk, 

 begins not far from Roseberry Topping, At first its stream runs 

 parallel with the Kildale branch of the Leven, and this dale is 

 separated from Kildale only by a narrow ridge of hill. On the 

 opposite, or north-eastern side of the dale, a ridge of moorland 

 runs parallel with it for four miles, and attains an elevation of 

 1078 feet. The lower part of the dale is broad and open, and 

 contains many farm-houses, surrounded by woods and culti- 

 vated fields. The following are the rarer plants of this dale and 

 the surrounding moors : 



Hypericum elodes 

 MyriopJiylliivi verticillatum 

 Scirpus pauciflorus 

 Carex teretiuscida 



Sphagnum molluscum 

 Gym7iostomum rupestre 



Cindidotus fontinaloides 

 Mtiium subglobosum 

 Anadangium compadmn 

 Camptothedum nitens 

 Hypnum stramineum 

 sisanteum. 



Castleton, the centre of population for the upper part of Esk- 

 dale, is situated near the point where the Sleddale stream unites 

 with one which flows from the south-west. In addition to 

 Sleddale, three of the branch dales from the south, Basedale, 

 Westerdale, and Danbydale, all open out into the main dale of 

 the Esk within a short distance of Castleton. The ridge of hill 

 from Burton Head eastward along the line of watershed between 

 Esk and Derwent reaches for several miles continuously into 

 the Middle Zone, and Loose Howe Moor, at the head of Danby- 

 dale, attains an elevation of 141 9 feet. The ridges of hill 

 between these dales are narrow, and stand out boldly into the 

 main dale of Esk. Basedale is a secluded, thinly-populated 

 dale, with an abbey and thick fir-plantations ; Westerdale, a 

 branched and more cultivated and populous hollow; and Danby- 

 dale from Castleton runs up due south into the recesses of the 

 high anticlinal ridge which forms the drainage-summit. Neither 

 about the Esk nor along the crest of the dales about Castleton, 

 is there much rock to be seen, but everywhere pastoral farm- 

 houses, and woods and green meadows emerging from beneath 



Oct. 1888. 



