News

September News

This week we launched a new special offer - the opportunity to purchase a full range of Wapenmaps at a reduced price.
The 'Lake District 6','Peak District 7' and 'Dales 6' collections are £99.00, and 'Snowdonia 3' is £49.00

Click on the links below

What you say about Wapentac

I am very pleased with the Buttermere & Haystacks Wapenmap thank you. I found it a little tricky to do at first because I was frightened of exerting too much pressure on it in case I broke it, but it's very strong! It's completed and looks great! Jane

Thank you. My husband and I plan to walk the Three Peaks Wapenmap in June. Kate

I read about Wapenmap in the FT Weekend magazine. We are keen walkers and I bought it for a friend. I like it a lot. Liz

The Blencathra Wapenmap arrived safely, thank you, and my husband was very pleased with his birthday card. Susan

Thanks for the speedy processing of my order. The Wapenmap has been bought as a gift for a walking friend, I already own a Wapenmap that was bought for me as a gift. I first saw them as gift ideas in Trail magazine and loved the idea. Matthew

Can't tell you how thrilled, amazed, delighted, etc etc we are with the revelation of Wapenmap and Wapentac to us....... a super card is a tremendous start... it seems that there are massive possibilities out there. Pat & Alan

Wapenmap arrived 3 days after order, thank you. It’s very interesting. I’m thinking of getting it mounted on a block of wood. The product was featured in the January issue of Trail magazine. Jill

Wapenmap is fabulous and quite unique = my hubby will love it. Kirsty

I read about Wapentac in Trail magazine, its brilliant as got present ideas for next few birthdays and Christmas's! Thanks Joanne

February News

The Outdoors Show

We are getting ready for The Outdoors Show in March. On the Wapentac stand you will be able to see the full range of Wapenmap plus some new ones and also a new product that allows you to display your Wapenmap in a whole new way. We would love to see you all on the stand, its stand number OU705 right next to Silva Compass.

New Wapenmap

We will be launching some new Wapenmap for the show. The Ben Nevis Wapenmap is absolutely stunning and we think that this is going to be a major attraction. We have also got Pen-Y-Fan another new Wapenmap that extends the Brecon Beacons range.

The WapenboX

We have developed a wall mounted frame that allows you to show your Wapenmap off in a new way. The Wapenbox lets you mount your Wapenmap along with a picture or a drawing or some writing you feel is relevant. We will be launching these at the show so make sure you come on to the stand.

Wapentac around the world

We have been receiving orders from around the world including Canada, the USA, Germany, Australia. Interest is growing in the Wapenmap and we will now be looking to extend the range beyond the British Isles. So if you have an area you think might look good on a Wapenmap lets us know.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park having heard about Wapentac and the Wapenmap have now started to stock the Wapenmap range in their wonderful shop. If you have never been to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park you are missing a real treat. It has a fantastic visitor centre and gallery showing innovative and challenging art. A superb restaraunt that serves great food and whats better looks out over 500 acres of park land filled with contemporary art works. You can stroll through the park for a whole day and just lose yourself. All this and its just of junction 38 of the M1

January News
Wapentac faces the New Year on Facebook
We thought you might like to post your thought about Wapentac and Wapenmap so we have started our very own Facebook site. Let us know what you think, or what Wapenmap you want to see next, maybe what you have done with your Wapenmap, how do you display it, who did you give it too. What memories the Wapenmap creates for you. Visit our page and get posting. If you are really interesting and fun, who knows you may win a prize!!! so get posting

Wapentac on Facebook

Wapentac in January Edition of Trail Magazine
Wapenmap from Wapentac are featured in the January 2010 edition of Trail magazine out December 5th 2009. A Wapenmap is in the gift section of Trail magazine, with a nice photo and the Wapentac website address. What better way to get your Christmas gift shopping off to a good start, by choosing the unique innovative Wapenmap of your loved ones favorite area. Since Trail magazine came out Wapentac have received a deluge of orders for Wapenmap in the Peak District, Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, so don't delay.

Wapenmap from Wapentac are featured in the January 2010 edition of Trail magazine out December 5th 2009. A Wapenmap is in the gift section of Trail magazine, with a nice photo and the Wapentac website address. What better way to get your Christmas gift shopping off to a good start, by choosing the unique innovative Wapenmap of your loved ones favorite area. Since Trail magazine came out Wapentac have received a deluge of orders for Wapenmap in the Peak District, Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, so don't delay.

December News

Wapentac featured in The Sheffield Star
Alison Counsell the founder of Wapentac and the inventor of the unique and innovative Wapenmap hit the press recently when Alison and the Wapenmap was featured in the Sheffield Star, following on from her success in the Sheffield Galvanize Festival. lison not only designs the Wapenmap, but she also carries out bespoke commissions as part of her private work as one of the worlds top metalsmiths. If you want to see the article and view more of her work follow the links below and also look at the commissions page on this site.
The Sheffield Star

Snowdonia Wapenmap
Hot off production lines in time for those xmas stockings comes the latest Wapenmap from Wapentac. The Wapenmap series features the Welsh mountain ranges of Snowdonia: Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa, Tryfan, Carnedd Llewelyn. Each Snowdonia Wapenmap from Wapentac shows the famous mountains with a walk detailed along with contours, valleys, rivers and lakes. Sit back this Christmas and scale Snowdon Yr Wyddfa, Tryfan or Carnedd Llewelyn without leaving your armchair. The Snowdonia set includes Snowdon Yr Wyddfa, Tryfan, Carnedd Llewelyn. Wapenmap at Wapentac are based on the Ordnance Survey map. Snowdon Yr Wyddfa, Tryfan, Carnedd Llewelyn Wapenmap are a perfect unique gift available at Wapentac. Just click in the Snowdonia button on the left to see them all.

October 2009 Wapentac News

In Octobers edition of the Wapentac newsletter

Longshaw and Burbage Edge Walk
Lake District Wapenmap maps
Yorkshire Dales Wapenmap maps
Retail Outlets
Wapentac Geocache Treasure Hunt

Longshaw and Burbage Edge

Walk:        Start/Finish Point Grid Ref : SK264799 Longshaw Lodge on the National Trust Longshaw Estate.
Distance:    19 Kilometers
Terrain:     Well Signposted Path, small section of road, stiff climbs, rocky terrain, moor and woodland
Total Time:  5-6 Hours
OS Map:      Explorer OL1, The Peak District, Dark Peak, East Sheet

  Longshaw-Burbage Edge Circular Walk          Longshaw-Burbage Edge Circular Walk Altitude Profile

A blustery October weekend brought not only the first real taste of the autumnal cold but also a favourite walk along estate tracks and gritstone edges. The walk starts and finishes in front of Longshaw Lodge on the National Trust Longshaw Estate. Easy access for public transport and parking, make it one of the most popular areas for walking in the Peak District National Park. The Longshaw estate has an interesting history, once a shooting lodge, frequented by royalty; it now serves as a focal point for the natural history of the area, with talks and guided tours being carried out throughout the year. View a list of forthcoming events here. Longshaw Estate Events

The walk starts by taking you into the depths of the estate by following a well designated footpath to be found leaving left of the Lodge and forming a ha-ha. Not a laugh, but a centuries old device for keeping livestock away from the house, whilst maintaining the illusion of a continuous sward of grass. The pasture land in front of you is where the annual Longshaw Sheepdog Trials take place. Continuing on through a gate you cross moor land to reach a highway. Turn right and then re-enter the estate taking a footpath down through marsh land a woods to reach a lane via the back of a house. Walk down this lane and cross the busy Grindleford road at Nether Padley to reach the railway station at Grindleford. The cafe at Grindleford station is somewhat of an institution particularly for its notices telling you what you may or more frequently may not do. Do not be discouraged, the food is cheerful and plentiful and a pint mug of tea is just the order on a blustery day.  Drink your tea whilst watching trains arrive through the Totley Tunnel and why not, you have just spent the last hour or so walking all over it.

Having being refreshed you walk across the bridge to enter Padley Gorge, first stopping to admire the small chapel, the last remnant of a manor house of the 14th century. The area more recently was testament to the days when it was thronging with people working in the local quarries producing the distinctive gritstone grinding wheels for the cutlers in Sheffield. A steep climb up a cobbled lane brings you into the wooded gorge and what a treat this is. Numerous waterfalls of Burbage Brook tumble down the gorge from your starting point. The area is on of Special Scientific Interest for its flora and fauna so take care where you put your feet. A clear path over rocks and stones leads the way to the top where a small bridge takes you back to the Longshaw. However, we turn left through a deep gully to reach the Sheffield to Hathersage highway at Owler Tor. Whilst here a small detour to the left is rewarded with a breathtaking and unexpected view down the Hope Valley to Castleton. No coincidence its called Surprise View, which it certainly seems to be for many speeding motorists.

Turn immediately right at Owler Tor and walk across heath land on undefined paths. You may need to pick your way through, but you also release the smell of heather, which in autumn is wonderful. You are aiming for a well trodden path rising up to the iron age fort of Carl Wark, to be seen on the horizon for miles around. A brief climb brings you into the fort and you can spend time wondering what it was like back then when it was occupied. If it was anything like today, very windy indeed. Looking up you see what appears to be another fort on the horizon. This is Higger Tor a natural feature and your next waypoint. Follow the clear path between the two to attain the summit. Descend to another highway, ignore footpaths to the right and go straight ahead across moor land and reaching another highway; follow it down until you reach a car park. From the car park walk along the valley bottom until you reach a bend in the tarmac, where a footpath to your right takes you through woodland and up a stiff climb to bring you out on Stanage Edge.

On reaching the top spend a moment to take in the panorama that is before you, in the distance you see Mam Tor and beyond the Kinder plateau. Behind the Don and Dearne Valleys of industrial South Yorkshire. To your left, Burbage Edge, Higger Tor, Froggatt and Curbar Edge and in the far distance the Chatsworth Estate.
Turn right heading back towards the Longshaw Estate, soon you come to the Stanage Pole, a little off the path to your left. It is worth a small detour if only for a sit down and a photo opportunity. Stanage Pole is a marker for the ancient drover’s road stretching from Cheshire to Sheffield. Back on to the path it becomes a simple ridge walk past some beautiful scenery and giving stunning views. You will be joined in the area by a plethora of climbers. The area has been a breeding ground for some of the best climbers in the world and continues to be so, although it is strange to see so many walking to the rocks with mattresses on their back!! Keep walking until you pass a trig point and come to a highway. Before you is Burbage Edge and below that is the wooded valley that separates the edge from Higger Tor and Carl Wark. To your left is an ice cream van, which is much more important on a hot day, hopefully the van is selling 99's with a flake.

Take up the trail again along Burbage Edge and proceed until you see the main Sheffield to Hathersage road again. On the way, notice the small but perfectly built stone bridge over Burbage Brook in the valley below, beneath Carl Wark. Now cross the road and regain the Longshaw Estate, taking the rising path through the pasture and arriving back at Longshaw Lodge and the National Trust visitor centre and cafe. If you timed the walk well, there is time to sit at the outside tables, drink tea and eat scones and cream, ice cream van permitting!!, whilst gazing out to Higger Tor and Carl Wark.

A wonderful walk that can be broken in to several circular routes that would be ideal for families especially those with small children. On a fine day you experience moor land, heath land, rocks, gorges, waterfalls, ancient history not to mention ice cream, egg and chips and large mugs of tea.

Latest Designs

Lake District Wapenmap maps

Designs for the Lake District Wapenmaps are now available and you can see the range by visiting the Lake District page here. Lake District Wapenmap
The areas covered by the Wapenmap maps include Blencathra, Buttermere, Hay Stacks, Helvellyn, Old Man of Coniston, Scafell Pike, Great Gable and Skiddaw.

Yorkshire Dales Wapenmap maps

Designs for the Yorkshire Dales Wapenmaps are now available and you can see the range by visiting the Yorkshire Dales page here. Yorkshire Dales Wapenmap
The areas covered by the Wapenmap maps include Kilnsey Crag, Wharfedale, Malham Cove, Malham Tarn, Pen-y-ghent, Swaledale, Muker, Wensleydale, Hawes and the Three Peaks Challenge.

Retail Outlets

If you live in Ashbourne or Derby you can now purchase a Wapenmap from Optimum. A specialist design shop full of the best in European design.

Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show

We have been fortunate to obtain a stand at the Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show which takes place at the NEC on 26-28 March 2010. We will post more details as we get nearer the date. Needless to say we are proud to be accepted for such a prestigious show and excited to be showing alongside such people as Ordnance Survey, Silva and National Trust.  We are on stand OU705 in Hall 1

You can see more details of the Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show here: http://www.theoutdoorsshow.co.uk/index.php?id=220

Geocache Treasure Hunt

A new geocache treasure hunt has now been posted on the competition page. Visit the page via the link above and win a prize.

Most Popular Wapenmap

Mam Tor still leads the league table, but with the new Lake District and Yorkshire Dales Wapenmap maps now available it will be interesting to see how long it can hold on to top spot.

September 2009 Wapentac News

In Septembers edition of the Wapentac newsletter

Northern Dams Walk
Lake District Wapenmap maps
Retail Outlets
Wapentac at the Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show
August Geocache Winners
This months most popular Wapenmap map

Damflask & Agden Dams

Walk:        Start/Finish Point Grid Ref : SK282908 20m from Junction of Loxley Road / New Road.
Distance:    11.5 Kilometers
Terrain:     Well Signposted Path, small section of road,some short climbs, moor and woodland
Total Time: 4-5 Hours
OS Map:      Explorer OL1, The Peak District, Dark Peak, East Sheet

Damflask & Agden Walk Damflask & Agden Walk Altitude Profile
Click map for a larger image

September was a time for exploring walks less popular with walkers who frequent the more populated areas of the Peak District National Park but none the less still wonderful to experience. The Damflask & Agden walk take us around two dams feeding water to the City of Sheffield with the highest point of the route giving clear views of both Damflask and Agden, Sheffield and beyond to the east. Starting at Damflask it is a pleasant flat walk along the shore of the lake, passing sailing and rowing clubs who often are to be seen practising on the water. Damflask is the chosen training lake for several of the areas leading sailing and rowing teams. A sight that seems to project more enegy and activity than walking does!! The first village we come to is Low Bradfield, a neat village of stone houses arranged around a village cricket field, where on sundays one can spend a few minutes watching the game whilst eating an ice cream. There is also a village post office, something which may become a thing of the past, if government has it's way. A sad loss this would be, both to the community and walkers alike. The post office offers tea and cake and sandwiches as well as stamps, maps and books. From Low Bradfield it is a climb, up the well marked path, past the large house with the even larger dogs and onto High Bradfield. Whichever came first, High or Low, each of the Bradfields have particular attractions. Low has the cricket and the sense of community. High has the church and church yard, a wonderful place with many benches on which to sit and take in the views down the valley obtaining the full panoram of Damflask, Agden & Strines Dams. Our trail continues through the church yard and into a wooded area where we descend to pastures new. Walking across the pastures is not exacting in so far as only ensuring that you reach the other end at the right point, which is Rocher Head. A derelict farm in an idyllic setting and a good place to stop for lunch, sit awhile and enjoy the beauty to be found there. After a rest we follow the lane up to the road, turning right down towards the entrance to Agden Dam. A wonderful walk, through woods, over streams and along good paths that skirt Agden dam. When one studies the craftsmenship displayed in the building of not only the dam but also the surrounding dry stone walls, at a time when there must have been hundreds if not thousands of workmen in the area creating these vast lakes, one is struck by what we may have lost in present day public works, both in quality and style. On exiting Agden dam path we once again walk down a road towards Low Bradfield. Traffic is less frequent in these parts, but care should still be taken on the roads. None the less a feeling of semi isolation is obtained when walking in these parts, it is rare to come across other walkers and it is almost as though you have found your own secret park in which to roam. Once in Low Bradfield, you may again obtain an ice cream and congratulate yourself on picking such a wonderful walk on such a lovely, typically English day. But all is not yet over. Returning towards Damflask we take the southern path that winds its way around the lake. The walk travels through woods and it must be shared with dog walkers, joggers and anglers, so tolerance and understanding all round is the order of the day, for at times the way forward is narrow. Eventually the path ejects you out on to the dam wall. A massive structure when viewed at the other side of the road, it is a short walk back to the starting point. Whilst an area of beauty it also has history and not a particluarly pleasant one. Loxley valley is the scene of the worst peace time disaster on british land. Dale Dyke Dam further up the valley and part of the chain that contains Damflask and Agden, burst one night, sending millions of gallons of water rushing down the valley and sweeping everything and every one before it. The devastation strectched for miles and over 270 people lost their lives. If you wish to read more then the Sheffield Archives hold important and interesting documents which can be viewed online here at The Sheffield Flood

Click on Damflask, Agden & Strines to view the Wapenmap with features of this walk.

Latest Designs

The designs for the Lake District Wapenmaps have just gone in to production and will be available in the next few weeks. In the next few days the designs for the Yorkshire Dales will also be put in to production.

September Geocache Winners

Lightning speed helped Dave and Jinny Flint(aka, Cats-Eyes), to be first to hunt out the Geocache and claim the prize of a Damflask and Agden Wapenmap. Well done to you both and we look forward to seeing the photo's so don't forget to send them in. There will be a new cache later in October so don't forget to keep checking back.

Retail Outlets

Several new outlets will be displaying and selling the Wapenmaps later in the month. We will post details towards the middle of the month.

Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show

We have been fortunate to obtain a stand at the Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show which takes place at the NEC on 26-28 March 2010. We will post more details as we get nearer the date. Needless to say we are proud to be accepted in to this prestigious show and excited to be showing alongside such people as Ordnance Survey, Silva and National Trust. You will be able to find us on stand OU705 in Hall 1

You can see more details od the Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show by following this link Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show

Most Popular Wapenmap

Mam Tor and Lose Hill Wapenmaps are still the most popular, although Burbage Edge is starting to make headway and could come strong during October. Lathkill Dale is bottom of the league table at present but still is showing a strong following with Damflask, Agden & Strines just nudging ahead.

August 2009 Wapentac News

In this months edition of the Wapentac newsletter

Monsal Trail Walk
Latest designs for Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks
Wapenmap goes on retail sale at The Famous Sheffield Shop, Sheffield
Augusts most popular Wapenmap map

Monsal Dale

Walk:        Start/Finish Point Grid Ref : SK184714 Monsal Head Car Park
Distance:    13 Kilometers
Terrain:     Well Signposted Path, small section of road,easy going with some short climbs
Total Climb: Total Ascent 614m
Total Time: 4-5 Hours
Ordnance Survey Map, Explorer OL24, The Peak District, White Peak, East Sheet

August we explored the Monsal Trail walk in the Peak District National Park, starting at Monsal Head car park. The climb down the steps was a little precarious due to the recent rain but we eventually made it down on to the Monsal Trail and turned left across the Monsal Head viaduct a well known piece of victorian engineering, towards Millers Dale. It must certainly have been one of the great train journeys in Britain when the Monsal Trail was a working rail line. It is an easy walk suitable for all levels of skill. The scenery, flora and fauna are good entertainment and many hours can be spent just looking at the wild flowers and watching the birds. We followed the trail until we reached Cressbrook Mill, recently renovated into apartments. At the mill is a small tea shop serving walkers and anglers who are passing through the area. It is well worth the time to stop and listen to the water come over the weir at Cressbrook Mill pond. Then onwards towards Millers Dale, passing first through Water Cum Jolly, one of the most beautiful spots in the whole of the Peak District White Peak area. After heavy rainfall, the river Wye had run over the banks making the paths very muddy or very wet in places, but this did not detract from the beauty that is abundant in Water Cum Jolly. In Millers Dale wild trout could be seen sitting in the river waiting for the next meal to come along down stream. in the crystal clear water. Arriving at Litton we passed some more mills, once laid derelict for decades, they too have been renovated into apartments. The history of the Litton mills is a fascinating and often gory one and well worth looking up. We stopped at Litton and sat beside the old waterwheel to eat lunch, whilst we listened to the river Wye flow past. After lunch it was back on to the Monsal Trail to view the old lime kiln workings, then head back to Monsal Head. Leaving the trail a few hundred yards past the lime kilns, taking a footpath left uphill we came to the hamlet of Brushfield and from their across the hilltop, with views of Monsal Dale, Millers Dale and Water Cum Jolly, then back to Monsal Head.

Click on Monsal Trail to view the Wapenmap with features of this walk.

Latest Designs

We are just putting the finishing touches to the designs for two new Wapenmap maps, Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks. There is a series of 6 Wapenmap maps in both the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. All feature areas of outstanding beauty along with well loved walks. The artwork is just being finalised and the production of the Wapenmap maps will begin shortly so that by the autumn the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District Wapenmap will be added to the Peak District Range of Wapenmap.

Retail Outlet

The Peak District range of Wapenmap, featuring Burbage Edge, Monsal Trail, Damflask Agden & Strines, Lathkill Dale, Goyt Valley, Howden & Derwent, Mam Tor & Lose Hill can now all be purchased in Sheffield at the Famous Sheffield Shop, 475 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, S11 8PP Along with the Wapenmaps The Famous Sheffield Shop stocks a wealth of locally produced knives, giftwares and cutlery.

Most Popular Wapenmap

So far in August the most popular Wapenmap has been Mam Tor & Lose Hill. It seems to be a favourite of walkers and people who live around the Buxton area, outstripping the sales of it's nearest rival by 2:1. The Mam Tor & Lose Hill Wapenmap has a wonderful profile when built, the low land pasture of Castleton and the Hope Valley rising to meet one of the best ridge walks with in the Peak District National Park stretching from Win Hill over Lose Hill and ending at Mam Tor. The walk on the map is a popular circular walk from Castleton that will be featured in later news letters.

Wapentac

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04:01 08-Sep-2010