Costa Beck

The source of Costa Beck is Keld Head Spring 0.5 mi (0.8 km) west of Pickering.^[1] It is a tributary of the River Rye which joins the River Derwent, eventually flowing into the River Ouse at Barmby on the Marsh.^[2] Costa Beck was used for ship transport by mills as early as 1200. It is a Scandinavian name meaning a river full of fish or full of life.^[3]

The waters of Costa Beck are noted for their crystal-clarity, and fly fishing is popular and available via Pickering Fishery Association. Trout, dace, grayling, salmon, and pike can all be found in Costa Beck and kingfishers can be seen flying above. The river further downstream lies adjacent to Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo, where visitors occasionally come from to fish.

John Kirk undertook excavations at the Costa Beck between 1925 and 1929 – these excavations were published by Mary Kitson Clark in 1931.^[4] The excavations showed the presence of an Iron Age and Romano-British lakeside settlement.^[5]