Skeeby Beck drains the moorland to the north of Richmond and south of the A66 road, and flows in a south-easterly direction until it runs into the River Swale at Brompton-on-Swale.

Artificial modification of the beck to enable draining of surrounding fields has straightened the channel in its lower courses, and the bricking up of at least one arch on Gilling Bridge is thought exacerbate flooding when the area is subjected to high rainfall.

The route of the original river (known as either the Proto-Swale or Proto-Tees) was through a hill which now reaches to 443 feet (135 m), and on its southern flank, is drained by Holme Beck.

The army had to go to the High Court to effect an order for the recovery of the Saladin, which was at risk because of water damage and the danger of its secretive equipment "falling into the wrong hands".

[6] In 1976, a stone carved with an Anglian Cross and a hogback tombstone were discovered in the beck at Gilling, evidence of early Christianity in the area, being dated to the 9th century; all other sculptures found in the vicinity relate to a later Anglo-Scandinavian period.

It had been previously rated as good in 2015, however since then, the presence of a habitat for fish was included, and so it was downgraded due to agricultural runoff.