Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd Reviews Summary

Accessibility & Paths

Pros:

• "Such beautiful views, great place for a day out with the family."
• "A really nice location for a long walk, even for a beginner like me."
• "Great place loads of different walks."
• "The varied paths showed different facets of the hills, the faces of brown and green, rugged and smooth."
• "Easy walking on paths although you can go for a bit of a scramble if you follow the harder route up to the waterfalls."
• "This is an amazing place with hiking routes wherever you look."
• "An absolutely brilliant walk with plenty of trails and great scenery."

Cons:

• "Paths need some maintenance."
• "Can get very dusty at times so shoes prep is a must."
• "The waterfall walk is rocky so not accessible for all and the main footpaths walk through Fords and streams so make sure to bring good and ideally waterproof footwear."
• "Beautiful place for a walk however more challenging than we anticipated, not much flat walking as there is a bit of navigating over rocks ect on the route we took."
• "Quite uneven surface not suitable for buggies."
• "Some parts of this trail can be a little challenging so sturdy footwear recommended."
• "Please don't turn up expecting a simple footpath all the way should you want to go walking."

Parking & Fees

Pros:

• "Good parking facilities."
• "Friendly staffs guide you with parking."
• "The carpark is pretty large and it pay and display and free for National trust members."
• "Parking is free to National Trust members."
• "If you are a National Trust member the car park is free."
• "Free parking if you're a member."
• "Car park and land is owned by National Trust £5 to park(£7 high season) or free for members."

Cons:

• "Even to get there is queue by cars to the kiosk, then when they let us in, to find a parking place is a nightmare!"
• "Expensive to park at £7!"
• "Car park costs £5.50 for non National Trust members."
• "Parking is £7.50 for the day... it’s expensive."
• "I do think charging 5.50gbp for what has always been free parking is a bit over the top."
• "We thought that the parking cost was a little steep - £7 all day (only option) - especially if only visiting for a couple of hours."
• "Parking expensive at Carding mill 7 quid all day compared to other similar AONB's but the scenery is worth it."

Cafe & Refreshments

Pros:

• "Ice cream tea coffee and food in the cafe by the car park."
• "The cafe is spacious and does great cakes, food, drinks and ice cream."
• "Nice cafe serving coffee and snacks."
• "Great tea rooms."
• "Beautiful, clean, fresh, onsite cafe, cash parking meters, but today IV experienced parking attendants who was accepting card payment for parking tickets, free to use public toilets."
• "Nice day out, we went with kids & a dog & they all had fun."
• "Has a cafe and gift shop."

Cons:

• "Disappointed that the cafe website says its offering eat out to help out but will not honour it."
• "Our only disappointment was the ice-cream parlour was closed when we got back to the entrance at 4 15 pm- ridiculous!"
• "Tea room/cafe closed when we got there."
• "The cafe is a little expensive (£5.25 for a Cornish pasty) so may be worth taking a picnic."
• "Shops a bit too pricey."
• "Request: Can you please ensure that the 'Lavotries' are cleaned and maintained to a certain standard as the stench and appearance was unbearable."
• "The toilets are not very pleasant smelling though!"

Family & Pet Friendliness

Pros:

• "A great day out for the family. Building dams, catching fish, exploring waterfalls."
• "Would love to come back and have a go at the wild swimming when I have my gear."
• "Perfect for active kids and agile dogs."
• "Good for kids. They can have fun in the streams building dams."
• "Great for families, kids and couples alike."
• "Children can play in the water."
• "Lovely, clean place for kids adventure, small waterfall at the top to reach to."

Cons:

• "We saw a few dog's chasing and scaring the sheep 😡."
• "Fantastic for dogs but beware livestock!"
• "Sheep trying to eat your food!!"
• "The sheep are very friendly but be careful not to leave your food alone or they will have it 😂."
• "Which on a sunny day may be spoiled by drunken youths."
• "Could be difficult to walk towards the waterfall for asthmatic and old people who have heart condition or difficulty for breathing."
• "Some parts are steep and too dangerous for children, but with some careful planning you can take some easy and very scenic routes."

Nature & Scenery

Pros:

• "So stunning views."
• "Very beautiful place! Stunning waterfall! Great workout going up hill to enjoy amazing views."
• "Best view in Shropshire!"
• "The views all around are absolutely stunning."
• "Absolutely beautiful countryside with plenty to see."
• "Magnificent scenery across the whole area."
• "Fantastic panoramic views."

Cons:

• "It's been ruined! Years of advertising this great place has led to too many visitors which it can't support."
• "Because I like to enjoy my day out further from crowd, it was not my style, and I do not wish to go back."
• "It can get windy and don't expect an easy path as there are some tricky areas up and down rocks."
• "It can and does get incredibly busy on weekends/holidays."
• "Lots of banks eroded. More wildfires because of BBQs."
• "Parking was busy at the weekend, so get there early for a space."
• "It’s just a short walk, in the dry it’s ok, if it’s wet the surface could be slippery."