River runs through it: Capturing the Esk
“I didn’t want to do that. If I was going to publish a book I wanted it to be a brand new collection,” says John, who in part inspired Ron Thornton’s book on the River Tyne, decided to seek inspiration from a waterway on his own doorstep. The Esk had featured in some of John’s previous work, but when he set out three years ago it was to capture the different character of the river, following it for 28 miles as it wends its way through Glaisdale and Egton Bridge and finally into Whitby itself.
“My plan was always to stick as close to the river as I could and I perhaps foolishly assumed that at least would be easy. However, it quickly became apparent that very little of the Esk is accessible as a public right of way, so it became quite an adventure.”
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Hide AdWhile the river’s inaccessibility made John’s project more difficult than he had initially hoped, it also meant that he was rewarded with some rare sights.
“There were a few hairy moments. One day I slipped on a rock at Beck Hole and as I landed on all fours in icy water I could only watch on as bubbles began to emerge from the camera. I was Mayor of Whitby at the time and as I drove home wearing only my underpants I could only pray that I wasn’t pulled over. However, for every day like that there were a dozen other happier memories.