Ruswarp: What to See and How to Get There from Whitby

Ruswarp (said RUS-əp) is a village on the River Esk just inland from Whitby, and the main thing to do here is on the water: a slow, sheltered stretch where rowing boats, canoes and kayaks are hired out by the hour. If you have had enough of the harbour and want a couple of hours of flat water, ducks and trees, this stretch of the Esk is a short way inland from the harbour. It lies about 2.1 km from Whitby in a straight line — Wikipedia gives around 1.8 miles (2.9 km) — with a signposted walking route between the two.

On the river

Ruswarp Pleasure Boats, on The Carrs, was established in 1874 according to Wikipedia, and hires rowing boats and canoes on the Esk — the only migratory salmon river in Yorkshire. Reviewers describe kayaks too, and one in July 2026 wrote simply, “Excellent place for paddle boards.” Lifejackets are fitted at the boathouse, and the run is bounded: a reviewer in November 2015 said, “Limits are sensibly set on how far you can go. I was able to row for 30 minutes upstream without passing the limit.”

Two practical points recur in the reviews. Rowing boats are steered from the back, so they are not a solo proposition — a visitor in April 2022 noted, “Rowing boats have a tiller so needs two - couldn’t take one solo unfortunately.” And it is exercise, not a cruise: in October 2019 someone wrote, “It is hard work and you always get a bit wet. Even if you don’t fall in. So don’t wear your best clothes.”

The river is also fished: a reviewer in September 2020 described day tickets from the boathouse, “mainly for brown trout and eels using worm”, though a returning angler in December 2025 found “the banks are now very overgrown, no parking near the river where there is easy access to the water from two small fields”. Wildlife in the reviews runs to ducks and herons — “Saw a grey heron but didnt spot the kingfishers” (April 2022). The Esk Valley Line runs along the bank, and a visitor in September 2021 said, “Amazing scenery and if you are lucky the steam train comes past.” A miniature steam railway also runs nearby, for adults as well as children.

Esk Leisure, and what to do if it rains

Directly opposite the boats is Esk Leisure: Mini Monsterz Indoor Play with pottery painting and laser tag, plus Outdoor Laser Combat and a Farm Park, the latter on the site of a pitch and putt course that closed in October 2009. Mini Monsterz is a large indoor play frame with a smaller area for toddlers; reviewers also mention an arcade and a bookable sensory room upstairs. A visitor in July 2026 wrote, “Really friendly staff, huge soft play with a smaller area for little ones.”

It is the local wet-weather fallback, which is exactly when it fills up. In January 2026 a reviewer reported, “Good amount of parking. Very busy as expected on a rainy weekend. 10 minutes wait to enter due to staff being busy.” Two reviewers mention booking ahead online — one a time slot, one a table. Confirm it is open before you set out — a reviewer in June 2026 arrived to find it “Closed Monday 22nd June despite Google listing status showing as open.”

The village itself

Ruswarp was recorded as Risewarp around 1146, from Old English hrīs wearp, meaning silted land overgrown with brushwood. Corn mills on the Esk were the village’s industry, and the last closed in 1962; the weir built to feed the mill race was later adapted for the Ruswarp Hydro project, generating electricity since December 2012.

The village has a pub, the Bridge Inn, and shops including Jackson’s of Ruswarp and Colin Duck Grocer and Off-licence. St Bartholomew’s Church stands redundant, and there is a Church of England primary school and a village hall. The high street post office closed some years ago and is now a private house. Ruswarp was a separate civil parish from 1866 until 1925, when it was merged back into Whitby.

What to expect when you arrive

The Esk Leisure site has its own car park, and it is not park-and-go: a visitor in August 2025 explained that “you need to give your reg number at reception.” A reviewer in November 2023 described being issued a parking penalty after a brief stay without registering, so hand the registration over on the way in, even if you are only checking availability.

There is a hill between the car park and the entrance: a reviewer in January 2018 wrote that “the disable parking is up a steep hill and often taken by non disabled drivers, making it quite a walk up a steep hill, this is especially tricky in bad weather.” Down at the boathouse, the pinch point is midday in school holidays. In August 2023 a visitor advised, “I’d recommend getting there early. We arrived at 11 on a weekday during the summer holidays. When we returned the boat an hour later there was a sizable queue and it was one in, one out.”

Getting there from Whitby

Ruswarp has its own railway station on the Esk Valley Line, served by Northern Trains, and buses connect the village with the surrounding area. By road it sits at the junction of the B1410 and B1416.

The walk is worth considering. Wikipedia describes a physically undemanding route of roughly 1½ miles between Ruswarp and Whitby, mostly along a stone pannierway known as Monks Trod, signposted from the main street in Ruswarp; the long-distance Esk Valley Walk also passes through. A visitor in July 2025 called the boats “a nice walk up from Whitby”. Downstream, the Esk is crossed by a railway viaduct — 120 feet high, built with 5,250,000 bricks for the Scarborough-to-Whitby railway, which closed in 1965. It is now owned by Sustrans and carries the Cinder Track, the footpath and cyclepath along the old line.