Wild Swimming at Carding Mill Valley Reservoir – open water swimming in the Shropshire Hills, an article by Clare Fagan, St Milburga Chapel.





We recently took the advantage of a very hot summer’s day to try out wild swimming at Carding Mill Valley near the town of Church Stretton in Shropshire whilst we were holidaying at St Milburga Chapel. Although we had read that there is a popular wild swimming spot there, we had never been, nor had we seen it whilst walking in the area. We thought it was a good idea to see what it was like, so we know whether to suggest going to guests enjoying a St Milburga Chapel holiday.
Carding Mill Valley
Carding Mill Valley is a well-known beauty spot and an access point for the chain of hills known as the Long Mynd. The area is under the care of the National Trust. There is a large parking area which is free if you are a National Trust member or £8.00 for the day for non-members. Situated up the valley from the parking is a good-sized National Trust tearoom with seating both inside and out as well as toilets which can be accessed from outside the café as well. The whole area is very popular with people heading up onto the Long Mynd as well as families enjoying paddling in the stream that runs the length of the valley bottom. For this reason, the car park can fill up and once its full, parking becomes difficult, so it is worth arriving in reasonable time if you know you are making a day of it.
Get there early on a hot day
We arrived late morning and the parking areas further up the valley were already full, so we were directed to park not far from the little wooden hut where the parking attendants sit. We’d gathered our picnic, beach towels, wet shoes, spare clothes and books together and with a rucksack each and a large beach bag, set off up the valley to find the wild swimming spot. Wild swimming takes place in an old reservoir about a 15 min easy walk from the parking areas. We followed the main path which gently heads up the valley alongside the stream. As it was a hot day, there were lots of families with young children paddling and having lots of fun in the water there. There was an added bonus of seeing one of the wild ponies with a young fowl on the way past. They seemed very unbothered by everyone around and were quite busy munching the grass by the stream. After about 5 mins or so, we came across a sign for the reservoir pointing to a path on the left that crossed over the main stream and heading uphill. After another 10 mins walking, we came to the foot of a steep, grassy slope with stone steps climbing up the side of it and at the top, found we had arrived at the reservoir. It was quite a sight, and we realised at once that this was a very popular wild swimming spot with lots of local teenagers, families and older people all enjoying the water and the rare British sunshine.
Shaded and Unshaded Sunbathing Areas
There was no shade at this end of the water. However, we could see a boardwalk path leading around to the other side of the reservoir where there were lots of trees, so we decided to leave the sunworshippers and make our way to the other end. We are so glad we took the extra couple of minutes to walk around the water as we found a charming, shady corpse of silver birch trees where we could lay out our towels and be out of the heat of the sun. It was also much quieter at that end. There was only one other family there when we arrived and it stayed like that most of the afternoon with just a couple of families coming and going. Given how hot it was that day and how strong the sun was, I don’t think we would have managed very long at all at the sunny end. As it was about lunchtime by now, we tucked into our picnic and let it settle before venturing into the water. I’m not going to lie; Britain is not the Mediterranean and the water was quite cold. I was quite happy to paddle around in the shallow water. However, the braver ones in our party did go in and enjoyed a swim across to the other end of the reservoir. They assured me that it wasn’t bad at all once you were in and the water was warmer at the sunny, busier end of the reservoir. I was happy to take their word for it! After a couple of hours or so, we were ready to dry off, pack up and head back down the footpath to enjoy a drink and a scone in the tearoom to finish the day before driving back to St Milburga Chapel and continue the rest of our Shropshire holiday.
As with any wild swimming spots, you need to be aware of the risks before you venture into the water. It is an old reservoir so the water is very deep in places and can be very cold even in the height of summer so the advice is to enter the water slowly and allow the body to acclimatise. There are no lifeguards and so only go in if you are confident swimmers. Remember, that it is not a swimming pool – there are rocks and weeds at the bottom and it can be slippery. If you have wet shoes, you might want to wear them. Obviously, don’t swim under the influence of alcohol or drugs or straight after eating. There is a tempting water tower jutting out into the reservoir. It is quite high and we saw a lot of younger people jumping off the top of it into the water. However, the advice on the National Trust website is NOT to jump off the tower as it is dangerous. You can’t judge the depth of the water and the shock of the cold water on the body can be very hazardous.
However, it was certainly a very relaxing afternoon in a beautiful spot and I would definitely recommend trying it out especially if you are keen wild swimmers or just fancy “dipping your toe in the water”. If you have babies or toddlers, I would probably recommend staying by the stream near the main footpath rather than heading up to the reservoir. The stream is much safer for young children and not as far to walk. I think the wild swimming is suitable for slightly older children who are proficient swimmers. I would also highly recommend coming away from the crowds and walking around to the shady side. It’s much quieter, safer with regards the sun and the water is shallower for longer at the shady end and can be easier to access especially if the sunnier end is crowded.
For more information on facilities, parking and directions visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/carding-mill-valley-on-the-long-mynd
For information on wild swimming in Carding Mill Valley visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/carding-mill-valley-on-the-long-mynd/outdoor-activities-at-carding-mill-valley#rt-wild-swimming
It’s also mentioned on a number of wild swimming sites including this one: https://www.wildswimming.co.uk/map/carding-mill-valley-reservoir/