Discover more at Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd
Find out how to get to Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
School visits at Carding Mill Valley on the Long Mynd
The Shropshire Hills is a fantastic place for scientific and geographical study or inspirational experiences in nature. Our expert Children and Young People team offer an exciting programme which can be tailored for different ages, abilities and curriculums. From river studies to rock formation, get your group into the great outdoors for hands-on learning and fun. All group visits to Carding Mill Valley and Long Mynd must be pre-booked with the Children and Young People Team. There are still some spaces left for Guided visits for the current academic year (2024/25), and plenty of spaces left for self-guided visits. To request available dates, please email the Children and Young People team on learning.cardingmill@nationaltrust.org.uk and they will be able to send the required information to you.
Self-guided visits
You can bring your group along on a self-guided visit. You must let us know you're coming by completing a booking form. Coach parking is available at Carding Mill Valley and groups are welcome to use the toilets and tea-room.
Our Children and Young People team offer support for self-guided visits with a wealth of knowledge to call on. We can hire equipment for river studies, map and compass work and other activities.
We do charge for self-guided group visits, unless your school or college has or takes out a National Trust Educational Group Access Pass. You can find more information about Educational Group Access Pass on here: Education group membership | Join | National Trust.
Guided visits
Our knowledgeable Children and Young People team can offer guided visits tailored to most curriculum needs. We offer sessions including river study, habitat study, geology, farm visits and guided walks.
We always encourage our groups to take time to include a walk somewhere on their schedule to take advantage of our team's wealth of knowledge on the wildlife and history of the Long Mynd.
Take a look at some of our suggested activities for groups, from KS1 level to higher education students.
Guided walks
Suitable for all ages, the guided walk is the perfect way to introduce children and young people to the valley. Led by a member of the Children and Young People team, the group will discuss topics including the lifecycle of a river, human and natural impact on the landscape and points of archaeological interest in the valley. This can be combined with any of the other activities sessions.
Suitable for: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, A Level and Higher Education students
River field work
This session is perfect for GCSE Geography students to carry out their physical fieldwork but can be adapted for KS3 students as well. The Children and Young People team will help students to record information about the river's depth and flow. We provide clipboards, measuring tapes and recording sheets for students to use. Groups can conduct studies at more than one site to help draw comparisons. Let us know the exam syllabus you are following and we'll shape the session accordingly.
Suitable for: KS3, KS4
Primary School rivers day
For Primary School children, this cross-curricula activity is brilliant as a starter hook or end of topic piece of work when studying rivers. The day is broken into three activities: river measurements, river dipping and a guided walk.
River measurements are a great way to use maths in real life. The Children and Young People team will help students to take measurements of the river's velocity, width, depth and also bedload (the rocks!), which KS1 and KS2 children can use to produce graphs and charts back in the classroom.
For river dipping, we have one well-equipped field lab that can fit up to 15 children in. Using the Ashbrook stream, your group will catch freshwater invertebrates to study, sketch and research.
The guided walk element will look at river features along with the history and environment of Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd.
Suitable for: KS1 and KS2
Geology
Learn all about the formation of the Shropshire Hills. Students will carry out tests on metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary rock samples. It's hard to believe that some of the ripple and raindrop marks in the stone are over 500 million years old.
Groups can choose to visit Wenlock Edge where we look at the coral reef strata for evidence of fossils and look at the historic use of limestone. A morning at Carding Mill followed by an afternoon on Wenlock Edge makes for a full day's work.
Suitable for: KS2 and KS3
Maps and orienteering day
Get to know your way around the valley. Spend the day in Carding Mill Valley to learn how to read different types of maps and have a go at orienttering.
Suitable for: KS2, KS3, KS4
Habitats
We can offer lots of different learning opportunities around habitats. Take a closer look in one of our ponds and compare it to the fast flowing Ask Brook stream.
Suitable for: KS1, KS2
Wilderhope Manor and Farm
Wilderhope is an NT-owned Elizabethan manor house on Wenlock Edge that is run as a youth hostel by YHA. It is surrounded by an NT-tenanted farm. The Children and Young People team can lead a whole day visit incorporating a farm tour, pond dipping activity and history of the manor talk. The YHA is available for schools to book for residential visits, please contact them directly for booking information.
Suitable for: KS2 and KS3
Duke of Edinburgh and Youth Groups at Carding Mill Valley
We welcome Duke of Edinburgh and Youth Groups throughout the year. The Shropshire Hills is a great place to complete the activities you need to gain your bronze, silver and gold awards.
Whether you're looking for volunteering opportunities or somewhere to host your next expedition, there's plenty of opportunity to complete your Duke of Edinburgh award in the Shropshire Hills.
There is no charge for Duke of Edinburgh or Youth Groups to use the outdoors, but you must book your visit in advance as we do need to know you're coming. Please get in touch to let us know your plans. You can also download a booking form and send back to us before your visit.
Please note you can only drop-off and collect groups as parking is limited, particularly at busy weekends. However, if you have the National Trust Group Access Pass, you will be allowed to park free of charge if booked in advance.
Educational Groups Access Pass
Schools can benefit from an Educational Group Access Pass, which is an annual membership giving free access to the whole school at National Trust places along with reduced costs for guided visits.
Education group membership | Join | National Trust
Booking your learning visit
All schools and groups visiting Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd must book their visit. The Shropshire Hills schools programme is very popular and dates get booked quickly. So that we're able to provide you with a fantastic learning experience, we ask all groups to book visits in advance by sending us a booking form.
If you would like more information, please email learning.cardingmill@nationaltrust.org.uk.
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