The Long Mynd is the back drop to Church Stretton, seven miles north of Craven Arms.
The Long Mynd is approximately 7 miles long by 3 miles wide. The highest point is Pole Bank at 516 metres (1,693 feet) above sea level. It is classed as a Marilyn.
Much of the Long Mynd is owned and managed by the National Trust and falls within the designation of the AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).
The National Trust have a Visitor Centre in Carding Mill Valley which has a an exhibition and a tearoom. Many activities are put on over the year.
There are many indications of ancient human activity on Long Mynd.
The Portway runs the length of the Long Mynd. It is a Drovers Route which is thought to have linked up with the Kerry Ridgeway.
There are twenty tumuli, of which one had a Shooting Box on it until 1992 and to this day is called the Shooting Box Barrow.
There are also three dykes, Bannister Plain Cross Ridge Dyke, High Park Cross Ridge Dyke and Devils Mouth Cross Ridge Dyke. They separated areas of moorland and are thought to be 1,500 years old, unfortunately in some places they have been damaged in more modern times.
Bodbury Ring is a small Hill Fort. It sits above Carding Mill Valley and looks over to Caer Carodoc and Lawley both of which have hill forts at the top of them. The photograph in the header of this blog post shows Bodbury Ring with Caer Carodoc and the Lawley in the nackground.
As you can see there is lots of human activity to look at but also lots of wildlife to observe as well. There are lots of walks up to the plateau of Long Mynd and from the car parks up on the Mynd.
