Things to do at Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd

Birds to spot in spring

After the quieter winter months, the hill bursts into life in springtime. Migrant birds such as Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Eedstart, Tree Pipit, Cuckoo and Whinchat return from their African winter quarters and fill the hills with their song. Resident birds Skylark, Meadow Pipit song can be heard again – another sure sign that winter is over.

These bird sing in the air – an adaption to open habitats. Dippers rarely sing but can be heard from February singing in Carding Mill Valley, Batch Valley and Ashes Hollow. Also, look out for the spectacle of Ravens performing their ‘loop the loop’ manoeuvre; they are the only birds that can fly upside-down!

Best Bird Hotspots

All the hills and valleys are bustling with courting and nest-building birds at this time of year; however, there are several different places that are particularly good for springtime bird-spotting. Dotterel (first week in May), Skylark and Wheatear can be seen near the Gliding Station, with Tree Pipit and Reed Bunting at Pole Cottage. Cow Ridge and the Reservoir are good places for seeing Cuckoo and Tree Pipit, while the Batch Valley often hosts Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Willow Warbler. In Carding Mill Valley, Grey and Pied Wagtail can be seen around the tea-room area, and Wheatear frequent the Burway. Also, the Pipe Walk offers a varied mix of habitats, which ensures the best chance of hearing and seeing a wide range of birds and is ideal for hearing the spring dawn chorus.

Of course, this is just a selection of the birds that can be seen on the Long Mynd. So, grab your identification book (or app) and see how many you can recognise on your next walk.

Get active

Lace up your walking boots or jump onto your bike – there are miles of footpaths, bridleways and permissive paths to explore across the Long Mynd. You don't have to go far out of Carding Mill Valley to find some peace and tranquillity, especially when you get to the top of the hill.

With thousands of acres to explore and lots of ways to enjoy yourself here are some ideas for things to do.

Head to the top

Pull on your walking boots and head to the top of the hill where you can take in the beautiful views, on a clear day you can see over 50 miles in each direction. In the winter the cloud fills the valley to make it feel as if you are walking on the top of the world.

Get on your bike

With tough climbs, high speed descents, technical tracks and great views along the way, mountain biking on the Long Mynd is definitely rewarding.

Go wild swimming

Why not go for a dip in the reservoir? There are some brave souls who swim all year round. Do be careful though, read the information at the reservoir before going in and do not swim solo in the winter. A warming drink by the tea-room fire is well earned afterwards.

Try orienteering

Orienteering is a sport that combines map reading and running with competitors having to find their way between a series of checkpoints, called ‘controls’ as quickly as possible. You can take part just for fun though and at your own pace. There are short, medium and long courses available to have a go at.

Take in the views

Whichever way you choose to explore Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd, you will be rewarded with spectacular views. Here are some top spots to take a quiet moment to enjoy the view.

From Dr Mott's Road

Looking back down the valley from Dr Mott's Road on your way up to the top of the Long Mynd gives you some beautiful views across Church Stretton to the Clee Hills.

Looking down from the Pike

From the Pike you get a great view of the red roof of the Chalet Pavilion and also a view of the only remaining part of the original mill. The building is now flats, but it was once the warehouse where the wool was stored and spun.

Carding Mill Valley from Bodbury Hill

From high up on Bodbury Hill, which was once an Iron age hillfort, you can look up Carding Mill Valley to the top of the Long Mynd. During autumn and winter, cloud often shrouds the Stretton Hills and valley adding to the drama. Then at the end of August the tops of the hills turn a lovely shade of purple as the heather comes into flower.

Looking down from the Burway

The Burway road is one of the steepest in Shropshire and, with an almost vertical drop off the side of the road down into the valley, it is definitely dramatic.

The reservoir in Carding Mill Valley

The reservoir once supplied Church Stretton with water, now disused, it is set in the hillside surrounded by trees. The trees have grown up here because the area is fenced off so the sheep can't get in to graze it.

The reservoir from the pipe walk

Follow the original pipeline up the hillside and you get some lovely views back towards the reservoir. From here you can get a real appreciation for the scale of the reservoir and its retaining bank.

Pole Bank from Pole Cottage

From the highest point on the Long Mynd you capture sight of some of the pools found on the Long Mynd. The pools are watering holes for the sheep and ponies that graze on the hill.

Looking out across Shropshire from Cow Ridge

Up on the top of Cow Ridge on a clear day you can get some spectacular views of the Shropshire Hills. Looking across to Caer Caradoc and the Wrekin you can see that these were once a chain of volcanoes hundreds of millions of years ago.

From Bilbatch looking west

From Bilbatch, a valley on the west side of the hill you get stunning views of the Stiperstones and Linley Hill.

Looking towards Bodbury Hill and beyond

One of the best ways to view the Iron age hillfort on Bodbury Hill is to go to the top of the Long Mynd. From here you can clearly see the single ditch running around the top of the hill. In the distance the larger Caer Caradoc can also be seen, there was once a hillfort here too