Welcome to our 4K walk up Carding Mill Valley in Church Stretton, Shropshire! Join us as we explore the stunning natural beauty of this picturesque valley, nestled in the heart of the Shropshire Hills. With its babbling brooks, cascading waterfalls, and rolling hills, Carding Mill Valley is a hiker's paradise. So sit back, relax, and let us take you on a journey through one of the most beautiful corners of England. Don't forget to hit the like button and subscribe to our channel for more amazing walks and adventures!
Carding Mill Valley is a steep valley located in the eastern slope of the Long Mynd down to Church Stretton. The valley was named after the carding mill that was built in 1812 to process local fleeces, to allow them to be spun. At first, the carded wool was sold to the women of the villages spinning thread in their own cottages, but in 1824, George Corfield bought the mill and expanded it. He built a factory and installed spinning jennies and hand looms to manufacture cloth. By 1881, part of the factory was used for ginger beer and soda water manufacture and another part as a tea-room. By this time, many people had new-found wealth and increased leisure, and Church Stretton was developing as a spa town known as "Little Switzerland". Carding would have been done by children, and involved using a hand-card that removed and untangled short fibers from the mass of raw material. The cards were wooden blocks with handles and covered in metal spikes, which were angled, to make it easier to untangle, and set in leather. When untangled, the material would be spun, and then weaved into the final product. The carding mill closed and was demolished at the beginning of the twentieth century, though the adjacent factory building remains in the valley today. The valley it is in took the name "Carding Mill Valley", and is now a tourist attraction and well-known starting location for walkers (being at the heart of the Long Mynd range). There is a golf course, the Church Stretton Golf Club, located near the Cardingmill Valley, on the slopes of Stanyeld Hill and Bodbury Hill.
