The Long Mynd is a broad moorland plateau running for about 10 miles north to south, rising to 516 metres at Pole Bank. In Welsh, "mynd" means mountain or moorland, and the Long Mynd lives up to the name — the plateau is open, treeless, and genuinely exposed, with views in clear conditions stretching to Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons, and the Malverns. The eastern escarpment drops steeply into Church Stretton; the western flanks roll more gently towards Bishop's Castle.
The Shropshire Hills National Landscape designation covers the whole area. National Trust has managed the Long Mynd since 1965. The plateau is threaded by ancient trackways — Portway is a prehistoric route along the ridge that has been walked for at least 4,000 years. Hang-gliders and paragliders launch from the western edge when conditions are right; the Church Stretton Gliding Club operates from the plateau.