Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd

[cmcmck]

We've been away for a few days for the first time in over two years.

We stayed in Church Stretton which is a small town among the south Shropshire hills.

On our first day, we headed up into the hills via Carding Mill Valley.

Church Stretton is surrounded by the Shropshire Hills on all sides. The path into the hills.This is the easy bit. It gets interesting further up- experienced walker territory:



That's a bullfinch- shame I didn't have a zoom lens:



Onward and upward:



And into the rocky tops:



And you begin to climb up though the rocks. Unfortunately, the National Trust give information that this is 'easy' walking which can mislead the inexperienced- it certainly isn't 'easy' walking! You need the boots and the walking kit and you need to know what you are doing!



Looking back down the climb towards Church Stretton:



And we followed the stream  up:



Another shot looking back down the ways. We'd been rock climbing for a time when we reached this spot:



We reached the waterfall at Lightspout.



And at this point it gets to real rock climbing up the side of the fall to the higher ground on the Long Myynd:



A view from the top of the rock climb:



The view from the top of the Long Mynd:



More from the tops later

Comments

[vriddy]

It doesn't look super easy but what a lovely path!!

[cmcmck]

It's hard work and you need to have the experience, but it's well worth the effort.

[semielliptical]

What great views!

[cmcmck]

It's a lovely part of the world.

I'll post some from right up on top later on.

[brightly_lit]

This is all absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much for sharing these!

[cmcmck]

Glad you enjoyed! :o)

[yourlibrarian]

Thanks for sharing these landscapes! It's so great to see other spots on the globe.

[cmcmck]

I never cease to be glad that we actually live among these hills.

[dewline]

Certainly looks like a church for those who hold their services in the outdoors!

[cmcmck]

Absolutely!

[chestnut_pod]

Beautiful!

[cmcmck]

We got rained on and blown about rather a lot but that takes nothing away from what an amazing place it is!

[pameladean]

How gorgeous! What does the walking kit consist of? I know what I take hiking, but we don't generally climb actual rocks unless we are doing it a bit illicitly; it's never been the only way up.

P.

[cmcmck]

Summer order tends to be hill walking boots, a fleece and a lightweight summer waterproof jacket over waterproof trousers. Layering is important even at this time of year as you can always take off but you can't put on if you don't have the kit with you- this time it was both wet and windy.

You obviously need the local OS map and a compass just in case, plus food and drink.

In this case, the rock climbs are part of the marked footpath.

[pameladean]

Thank you! I think I ran afoul of a slight difference between British and American usage -- when I think of a "kit" I think of a preassembled set of things probably all in one bag made just for them rather than a sensible assemblage of items necessary to be safe and dry during a walk. Either way, I am glad of the information. Your walks are more serious -- and certainly longer! -- than most of mine, but I have ambitions.

P.

[cmcmck]

We average about ten/twelve miles on our walks- sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

[adafrog]

Pretty.

[cmcmck]

It must be a lovely place to live with so many hills all around. We live in the north of the county- the northerly edge of the Shropshire hills so for us, it's hills and forest on one side and moorland on the other.

[adafrog]

Still sounds pretty.
I live in the Texas Panhandle, which is pretty flat and mostly brown. There is beauty, but you have to look for it.

[cmcmck]

It's true of most places, I reckon.

There are pics from my own area on here if you flip back.