Visiting Carding Mill Valley and the Shropshire Hills with your dog

Dog walking at Carding Mill Valley and the Shropshire Hills, Shropshire — Top tips for bringing your dog to Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Bring your dog along to Carding Mill Valley and the Shropshire Hills and discover miles of footpaths and open countryside to explore together. The hills are home to lots of animals and wildlife, find out how to keep them and your dog safe whilst you're walking.

Our pawprint rating system

We’ve been working on making it easier for you to find out how dog-friendly your visit will be before you and your four-legged friend arrive. To help with this, we've created a new pawprint rating system and given all the places in our care a rating. You can find this information in the National Trust members’ handbook.

Carding Mill Valley is a one pawprint rated place.

Dogs are welcome here including inside the tea room. There are water bowls in front as well as inside the tea room. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go?

There are miles of footpaths to explore with your dog across the Shropshire Hills. Whilst there are no restrictions to where dogs can go, owners are expected to keep dogs under close control, ideally on a lead. Your dog is also welcome to join you in the tea-room at Carding Mill Valley.

Keeping control of your dog

Our definition of close or effective control is:

Being able to recall your dogs in any situation at the first call
Being able to clearly see your dog at all times (not just knowing they have gone into the undergrowth or over the crest of the hill). In practice, this means keeping them on a footpath if the surrounding vegetation is too dense for your dog to be visible
Not allowing them to approach other visitors without their consent
Having a lead with you to use if you encounter livestock or wildlife, or if you are asked to use one

Breeding season – take the lead

Every year, from March to May, the sheep on the Shropshire Hills give birth to their lambs. It’s vitally important that you keep your dog on a lead during this period. Being chased by dogs can do serious damage to sheep, even if the dog doesn't catch them. The stress of worrying can cause sheep to die and pregnant ewes to miscarry their lambs. So please take the lead to protect your pet and the farmers' livestock and livelihood.

The Shropshire Hills are an important breeding area for ground-nesting birds such as grouse and curlew. Disturbed birds may be prevented from settling, or if they're already nesting they will fly away from their nests, neglecting their eggs or chicks. Keeping dogs on paths is key to these species survival. The breeding season runs from March to July so please keep your dog on a lead at this time.

Ewe with lambs at Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd, Shropshire — Ewe with lambs at Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd | © National Trust Images/PJ Howsam

We welcome many responsible dog walkers in the Shropshire Hills. Help us to set a good example by clearing up after your dog and keeping it on a lead during lambing and breeding season. Thank you for helping to keep our countryside safe and tidy for everyone.

The Canine Code

We’ve worked with our partner Forthglade to come up with this Canine Code, which helps to make sure everyone can enjoy their day:

Keep them close: using a short lead helps to keep your dog from disturbing ground-nesting birds and farm animals. It's essential to use a short lead around sheep. But if cattle approach you, it's best to let your dog off the lead, and call them back when it's safe to do so.
Pick up the poo: please always clear up after your dog. If you can't find a bin nearby, take the poo bags home with you.
Watch the signs: keep an eye on local signs and notices wherever you're walking. They'll tell you if a beach has a dog ban, for instance, or if a path has been diverted, or if you're in an area where dogs can run off-lead.
Stay on the ball: remember that not everyone loves dogs, and some people fear them. So make sure your dog doesn't run up to other people, especially children.

Facilities available for my dog

There are five dog waste bins at Carding Mill Valley and one at Batch Valley. Please remember to bring poo bags and clear up after your dog. If there isn't a dog waste bin nearby, please take it home with you.