Reeking Gill is a tributary of the River Seven and rises on Seavey Hill near Rosedale Head.

Another possibility is that the name arose from a common mistake whereby Anglo-Saxons confused Old Norse sef ( "sedge, rush" ) for Old English seofon ( "seven" ).

Over time the North York Moors are sliding downhill: you can tell this from the new bands of rock visible in the northern regions.

The forty year record shows that the catchment of 122 square kilometres (47 sq mi) to the gauging station yielded an average flow of 1.6 cubic metres per second (57 cu ft/s).

[2] The catchment upstream of the station has an average annual rainfall of 875 millimetres (34.4 in) and a maximum altitude of 433 metres (1,421 ft).