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| Church Stretton,
or “Little Switzerland” as it’s sometimes called,
nestles under the Long Mynd - a ten-mile range of hills of
outstanding beauty and unique character. Park
in Cardingmill Valley. The turning is on the north side of the
town on the road to All Stretton.
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| As
soon as you’ve crossed the cattle grid into the valley
proper, look for the first car park, to the left of the road.
Be prepared to get your money out for the £2.50 the National
Trust currently charge for the privilege of parking in the
valley. |
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| Head
straight up the valley, past the NT shop and café. Just
beyond the strikingly yellow Long Mynd House, you will see a
little footbridge on the right. Take this path if you don’t
want to get your feet wet in a ford.
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| After
200m you come to the junction with New Pool Hollow. Carry on
up the road for another 100m or so to the top car park. This
used to be a swimming pool many years ago.
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| There’s
a footbridge on the left – again, take this path to avoid a
ford further up. Head straight up Cardingmill until you come
to an obvious junction.
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| Straight
on is Mott’s Road which takes you directly onto the Mynd. To
the left is Lightspout Hollow and that’s where we are going.
Pass the old sheep dips and on up the rocky path until you
reach the waterfall.
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| Except
in very dry times, the Lightspout is quite spectacular. The
path around the waterfall was once quite treacherous in the
wet but these days it’s been transformed into a staircase of
rocks and boulders.
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| At
the top you can see the hollow stretching ahead of you. Take
the right valley at the first fork. After 200m the path
splits. Take the high level path on the right to avoid erosion
on the lower track. The valley widens out and the path slips
round to the right and up a little combe. Follow this path
north until you are out on the top.
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| In
80m you come to a green crossroads. Take the left path, to the
west, and head towards the ridge. You will hit the Portway,
the north-south stony road that runs along the Long Mynd. Turn
north (right) until you get to the sign pointing back down
into Cardingmill Valley.
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| The
path splits into three shortly thereafter. The right runs down
into the valley, the left hand path carries on along the
Portway; we want the middle path that takes us over the ridge
on the horizon.
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| When
you breast the ridge you can see the whole of north Shropshire
laid out before you with the Wrekin in the far distance. Our
next task is to find a way into Longbatch. This is more
problematic than it seems as the most direct route is boggy
with indistinct tracks. The best route is to pass the head of
the valley and then turn right along the green path toward
another ridge. Just before the path starts to rise gently,
take a right, past a small pool, and skirt a little combe on
its left bank.
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| Just
before you dip into Longbatch itself you cross a bigger path.
Here you need to go west up the valley until you find a
sensible path into the batch. Longbatch is considerably less
refined than Cardingmill, with rougher paths and boggy
patches. But its relative wildness can be rewarding. You will
need to switch banks frequently to find the best route (mostly
the left on the way down), pushing past gorse bushes all the
while. |
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| When
you see a path climbing up the bank ahead, you’ll notice
that the valley does a considerable dogleg to the right to
accommodate a long ridge. Follow the main valley path to the
right.
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| 400m
after the valley straightens out again, turn back on yourself
to the right, up a path between trees. After the gate, turn
left and start climbing up the path that follows the fence
towards Cwydale.
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| Once
you are past the houses in the combe, the footpath takes you
to a gate down to the road. Carry straight on here and climb
up the edge.
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| You
pass the foot of the golf course. The path comes out opposite
the black and white house in Cardingmill and your car is down
below you.
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