Introduction:
location of
the fieldwork
L.O. To be able to describe the
human and physical features of
Carding Mill Valley
Summary content of this section
Physical geography
• The landscape
• Climate
• Vegetation
• Soils
• Geology (rocks)
• Animals
Human geography
• Human uses of the valley
• National Trust
Write and short descriptive paragraph on each
which includes PICTURES and NAMED EXAMPLES
General introduction
• Covers are of 1295 hectares
(about 5 square miles)
• Highest point 517 metres
above sea level.
• Carding Mill Valley is around 2
miles long.
• Towards the top the valley
divides at the confluence with
Light Spout Hollow which is
the location of Light Spout
Waterfall.
• The Long Mynd has a
distinctive landscape with
rounded hills and deep VShaped valley.
• The River Onny a tributary of
the River Severn.
• The National Trust owns the
majority of the Long Mynd.
• Small town at the bottom of
the valley Chruch Stretton at
200m above sea level.
The landscape
700 million years ago Carding Mill Valley was
under water at the bottom of an ocean where
silt, sand and gravels were being deposited.
Movements in the earth’s crust lifted and
folded the layers of sand and silt upwards to
create the hills of the Long Mynd.
• Over millions of years the hills have been weathered
and worn down to create flat topped plateau.
• Streams have carved deep valleys and created rounded
hills.
• The V-shaped valleys and interlocking spurs are made
by fast flowing rivers and Carding Mill Valley was made
deeper by glaciation.
• As the valley was deeper it caused the streams to cut
down rapidly and this made the valley sides steeper
and created flat terraces either side of the river from
the eroded material from the slopes.
Climate
www.cardingmillvalley.org.uk
The westerly position of the Long Mynd gives
rise to sub-oceanic conditions. These give rise
to generally fairly mild conditions and its
position to the leeward of the Welsh
Mountains produces a rain-shadow effect
giving it a very moderate 900 mm rainfall for
its altitude.
http://www.taw.org.uk/demo/geography/cmv/ac
tivity.swf
These climate statistics were measured in 1996 at
All Stretton ( 457958) at a height of 256 metres.
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Temp oC 3 3 4 8 8 14 16 15 13 11 6 2
Rainfall mm 67 95 53 74 71 41 29 57 36 96 99 53
Temperature Range = 14 oC
Total rainfall = 771 mm
Location of climate data collection
457 958 at a height of 256 metres
The location affects the results
because it was collected on the lower
slopes of the Long Mynd (highest
point Pole Bank 517m) and therefore
sheltered from most of the cold and
windy weather
The graph shows a greater variation in
the rainfall than the temperature. (try
describing the trends shown on the
graph
Degrees centigrade and millimetres
120
Temperature and rainfall data for The Long Mynd
100
80
Temp oC
60
Rainfall mm
40
20
0
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Months
A learner’s description of the
climate
 Use of figures
and data
 Evidence of
research
 Links climate to
the plants and
animals in the
valley
 Skills shown by
using the data to
draw a climate
graph.
Soils / rocks
Church Stretton is home to some of the oldest
rocks in the country formed during the PreCambrian age.
The rocks in the long Mynd are generally
sedimentary formed on the oceans edge of an
ancient continent.
Examples of rocks are – sandstone, shales,
siltstones, grits and congomerates
• The rocks have been buckled and folded
during the collision between two continents.
Over the years rocks have been uplifted and
tilted because of earth movements.
• There no fossils in the rocks of the Long Mynd
because the rocks were formed when the sea
creatures had soft bodies which later
decomposed.
• In the valleys of the Long Mynd including
Carding Mill Valley the soils are deep and
more fertile in comparison to the valley sides
and summit which are thin, acidic, Infertile
and stony soil.
Vegetation
Find an image
Heather
Bracken
Bilberry
Pennywort
Sundrew
Golden Saxifrage
DO SOME RESEARCH
ON EACH ONE
e.g.
What conditions do
they like to grow in?
When do they flower
Animals
Small mammals
• Foxes
• Badgers rabbits
• Weasels
• Stouts
• Dormice
• Yellow necked wood mice
• Pipestrelle and Brown
Long Eared Bat
Frogs and toads
Common lizard
Adders
Grass snakes
Slow worms
Raven
Kestrel
Merlin
Human uses of the valley
• Tourism
• How many tourists visit the valley each year
• National Trust site – when did they get the valley &
why was it selected as a site people would want to
visit?
• What facilities are available there for tourists – include
pictures
• How can tourists get there – car parks & shuttle bus (
look up details of Shropshire shuttle bus on the
internet)
• What do the tourists do when they are in the valley –
pictures
Recreational uses of the valley
• Sports & outdoor activities – find examples
• Clubs and societies based in the area
www.longmynd.com West Midlands gliding club
www.churchstrettongolfclub.co.uk – Church
Stretton golf club
Water
•
•
•
•
•
The name of the product
How much it costs
Where it is sold
Address and location of the factory
Some information about why they can get water
from the hills
www.finewaters.com/Bottled_Water/United_Kingd
om/Stretton_Hills.asp - Stretton Hills water.
Wool industry
• Gave the valley its name
• Explain about the process of carding and what is
the link with the valley
• Picture of the mill – when it closed
• Why is there no wool industry today
• www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/wcardingmillvalleyandlongmynd - National Trust
* Wool industry
Farming
• Type & why these types of farm in this area
• example – look up on the internet an actual
farm in the area of Church Stretton
Education
• Why do schools visit the valley
• What activities and facilities are on offer there –
look at the National Trust Carding Mill Valley
section about schools
• www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/wcardingmillvalleyandlongmynd - National Trust
• *school visits * Tourism * Wool industry *
tourist events * the shuttle bus
What about settlement as an
extension idea?