I didn’t get very far on this hike, the conditions were, well amazingly exciting! The was a lot of snow on the ground, a quite a bit still coming down. I was happy that I was wrapped up pretty well but I did have little more than what I could see on the map to understand the terrain. Some of the rocky paths later on were a little slippery with layers of ice and snow.
The Route
I was heading towards a trig point on this hike but you can see on the map below that I didn’t reach Long Mynd (or Pole Bank). This route does however follow the Light Spout valley and contains some very impressive water features.
The clouds should have been a warning
Well the snow had kicked in a little on the way down, and it had been a little foggy in place. The fact the the clouds were now hugging the summits of the hills should have been a warning that more snow was to come.
Carding Mill Valley looked beautiful covered in snow
It looked amazing. No one else was around, and it felt like I had a winter wonderland all to myself. The start of this hike was a very nice paved path. Making it pretty accessible. I didn’t follow this all the way. My initial plan was the head up some of the rockier section. The ice on the ground made me re think this. Well partially.
Icy Paths
I needed to head towards the trig point at Long Mynd. I wanted to tick a Marilyn off my list too. There was a warning sign for the path stating that it was all uneven rocks from here out. Maybe it should have been an indicator that I had to wipe the sign down to read what it said.
Oh to my mind though, that just made me think… Yes! This is going to be an amazing hike. Everything footsteps required me to consider how my body was balanced. With my eye fixated on the ground I powered forward, through a light snow that was gathering around me.
The running water, that in summer months would feel refreshing added to a coldness. There was smooth untouched snow covering the the icy rocky path. It took all of my mind to concentrate, for an hour nothing else came into my head apart from pushing on.
Light Spout Waterfall
This looked away waterfall was the perfect spot to stop for a quick brew. The snow was picking up a little now, and even though it was cold have this waterfall all to myself was still immensely relaxing.
Erm. Can you see the steps?
I have to admit I was stood there and I struggled to see them. I did debate whether I should turn back at this point as these steps did seem a wee bit treacherous. I took them slowly though.
Is it safe to go hiking when it’s snowing?
Well yes, if you’re prepared. It is also important to make sensible decisions. I’d crossed a mix of rocky, gravel and decked out paths up to this point but studying the map showed me that the terrain ahead might not be as practical. There were narrow paths marked crossing through marsh land. The last thing I wanted was to end up breaking through an icy surface and ending up waist deep in a bog.
Retracing my steps
Well at least trying to retrace them, this was my sign that I was doing the right thing. As the sky got darker the snow got heavier and was already hiding the footprints I had laid just minutes before.
Still this really did add to the adventurer vibe of the hike. Luckily it wasn’t too windy but that make the snow any less troublesome.
More footprints but a still gorgeous valley
When I got back to the main paths in the valley I started to see a little more life, mostly dog walkers and the footprints I showed proved that everyone was sticking to the paved paths.
Carding Mill I’ll be back
Since I didn’t reach my target on this hike, I’ll almost definitely be returning to the valley. It will be interesting to see how different it is with less hostile seasonal weather. So this one was short but it was a whole lot of fun. It felt like an adventure, got my adrenaline pumping and gave me some simple gorgeous views.