🥾 Walking route
Lightspout Waterfall Walk, Carding Mill Valley
Shropshire
- 📏 2.2 km · 1.4 mi
- ⛰ +159 m
- ⏱ 45 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance2.2 km · 1.4 mi
- Elevation+159 m
- Duration45 min
- DifficultyModerate
- Route typeCircular
- TerrainValley path and rocky stream-side climb
- Best seasonLate spring to early autumn
- DogsDog friendly, keep on lead near livestock
About this walk
This short but rewarding circuit sets off from Church Stretton, following Carding Mill Valley up into the heart of the Long Mynd. The path traces the valley stream past bracken-clad slopes, with Cow Ridge rising on one side and Calf Ridge on the other, funnelling you deeper into the hills.
The route climbs steadily to Light Spout, a hidden waterfall tucked into a narrow cleft where the brook tumbles over rock. It is the natural turnaround point and the highlight of the walk, with a small pool beneath and moorland stretching above. Haddon Hill sits nearby, adding to the sense of being cradled by the Shropshire Hills.
The return leg drops back down the valley to Church Stretton, retracing the stream as it broadens out towards the village. At just over two kilometres with a solid 159 metres of ascent, it packs a proper hill feel into three quarters of an hour.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
2 waypoints along the way
- 1
Church Stretton (start and finish)
- Start / finish
Start and finish of this circular route.
- 2
Light Spout
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
Haddon Hill
~283 m off the route
Cow Ridge
~287 m off the route
Calf Ridge
~382 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).