Walk Summary
A gem of a walk through a picturesque, hilly landscape. Visits Light Spout waterfall and admire extensive views, as far as the Brecon Beacons and Caedar Idris, from the compass plaque at Pole Bank. So good that midweek would be best to beat the crowds.
Date: 17/01/2022
Length: 9.37 miles
Height Gain: 434 m
Terrain: Boggy paths, grass path, stony track, lightly used roads
Navagation: Reasonable. May need to bearing to/from Grindle in bad weather.
Start: Cardin Mill Valley Car Park
Route: Carden Mill Valley Car Park, Light Spout Waterfall, Shooting Box, Pole Bank, Grindle, Pole Bank, Shooting Box, Mott's Road
Map:
Weather: Sunny, blue skies and cold
Walkers: Nun
Gallery
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Carding Mill Valley
Captain's Log
Mountain Excitement
As I drove southwards I could see the shape of a very large hill appearing on the horizon, out of the morning gloom. The surrounding area was fairly flat and so the hill was quite impressive. And this was where I was heading, The Long Mynd. I was on my way to spend a week in the Brecon Beacons and decided to break the journey by spending a day doing a walk on The Long Mynd. I was slightly disappointed when I realised that my destination, Church Stretton, was on the other side of the valley to the big hill. Even so, the area was very pretty and became positively picturesque as I parked up in the Carding Mill Valley.
Welsh Farmer
The hills glowed red for the morning sun, but the ground was white with frost. As I walked up the valley I past a tall chap getting a dog out of his car. We exchanged hellos.
The valley got impossibly prettier as I got higher. As I tried to capture this on a photo, the tall man with the do caught me up and we started chatting. He told me that he was 68, lived about 25 miles away and used to be a farmer in North Wales. We parted company as he continued up the valley and I took another path up an offshoot valley. There was quite a nice waterfall, called Light Spout, halfway up the valley. I continued upwards and finally reached the top which turned out to be a plateau.
Light Spout Waterfall
Carding Mill Valley
Welsh Farmer 2
I walked along a well defined path towards the highest point, Pole Bank. I came across the Welsh Farmer talking to another bloke coming the other way. I joined in their conversation. The bloke had just seen 'dozens' of Golden Plover in an area where I'd just come out of the valley. I must have been very close to them, but I didn't see them. I didn't hear them for that matter. I returned past the same point later in the day and did actually see a flock flying down into the heather. The bloke and the Welsh Farmer were now talking about their dogs and so I moved on.
At Shooting Box, I was reading an information board when the Welsh Farmer came by again; 'A fantastic day isn't it?'. I agreed, and then went up on to a bit of a hillock to take a photo of the amazing panorama.
Welsh Farmer/Solidier At Pole Bank Welcoming Another Walker
Pole Bank
There is a trig and a compass plaque at Pole Bank. The Welsh Farmer was also there talking to a couple. I had a look at the plaque. It pointed me to the Brecon Beacons. You could even see Caeder Idris. What a view!
I started chatting to the Welsh Farmer again. He told me that he used to be a runner (not a fell runner) and also served in the army. He said that his knees were bad now. We talked about the Offas Dyke. We could see the hills that it would go along from here. 'I'll do it one day', he said. Eventually, he headed off back to his car and I continued along the plateau. What a sociable chap.
Pole Bank Compass Plaque
Narnells Rock
Grindle Summit
Grindle
My original intention was to do a circular walk that would mean travelling back along the bottom of the valley to Church Stretton. The day was too good to waste walking in valley bottoms and so I decided to change it to an out-and-back walk so that I could spend more time up high. I headed over some hillocks to one called Grindle. The views down into the valleys and across the hills was so picturesque. Why had I not heard of this area before? I had my lunch at Grindle's summit cairn and then started making my way back. Pole Bank and the summit plateau was a lot busier now.
I descended from the plateau on the Mott's Road. Occasionally a mountain biker would come scooting past. I was making good time and so decided to take a look at a reservoir up a side valley. It was only a ten minute diversion but worth a look. The Carding Mill Valley was transformed from this morning. There was hardly any place to park. And this was a Monday; it must be quite a honeypot at a weekend. Understandable though
It was a great day, made even better by great weather. The Long Mynd is a gem. Maybe one day I will be back to explore the other valleys.