‘Alpaca walking experience’, is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration of what actually happened during this new thing that I tried as you’ll find out!
An alpaca walking experience is not at all ‘al-lama-ing’, and is a lovely way to spend some time outside up close on an animal encounter. ‘Alpaca’ my bags, the puns don’t get any better!
Alpaca Walking Experience In Yorkshire
On the outskirts of York in the village of Sherrif Hutton, lies a seven acre organic farm surrounded by rolling fields and lush woodlands, and living happily amongst it all are 43 beautiful alpacas.
Usually found in South America these gorgeous creatures with great big eyes and the longest lashes are happy in the British climate thanks to their incredibly soft fleece. Not only is their coat waterproof, (a definite advantage in our unpredictable UK weather), it helps to keep them warm in the colder months, and cool in the heat.
Wet And Wild
I love a wildlife experience, and not long after being a keeper for a day, I’d booked in for a one hour experience to walk an alpaca. Driving across in the morning, the wipers streaked across the windscreen on full speed and the spray splashed up high as I drove through some big puddles. It was pretty grim with the rain lashing down and showed no signs of letting up.
I’d half expected that I’d be the only adult doing this and that the other walkers in the group would be children. It turned out I was the only person there at all!
My guide introduced herself as Hannah and explained that due to the weather she’d slightly changed the plans. We would walk the alpaca but only in the field rather than through the woods. I’d also get the opportunity to feed them and meet more of them than if I was just walking.
Sounded a good plan to me!
Having a Field Day - Alpaca Walking Experience
Starting off in the field with ten baby alpaca (which I now know are called cria), and one adult, they were happy for us to be around them, probably because they knew human presence meant food was coming!
Their fluffy coats tend to be one colour, either brown, white, or black, although the youngest called ‘Pinto’ was unusual with his brown coat and white feet.
‘Miss Chief’ was very friendly and enjoyed our company, and tended to stay quite close to us whilst we were in the field. She was slightly blind and whilst it didn’t seem to impact her in any way, she liked to know we were near.
I learnt so much in such a short time – you can see what I remembered further down!
It’s All Relative - Alpaca Walking Experience
Alpaca are related to camels. They don’t have the hump (although I think the one I tried to walk got the hump with the weather), but they have two toes that look very similar to their desert dwelling relatives, and their big eyes framed by long thick lashes are also indicative of their relations.
Alpaca are often confused with llamas, and whilst similar to them, alpaca are much smaller.
There are two breeds of alpaca, both of which you can see down at the farm. In case you ever come across an alpaca and want to impress your friends, here’s the difference:
- Huacaya alpaca have a fluffy fleece and if you look closely you can see they have a slight eighties flair as it looks like it has been crimped.
- The Suri alpaca have hair that hangs together more in locks, although in the rainy morning that I was there the poor things looked more like bedraggled mops.
Attempting to take the four legged friends for a walk
Hannah put small harnesses onto Little Miss Sure Shot and Pinto and showed me how to hold the lead for walking them so that we could take them around the field. I felt extra responsibility, as I found out that Little Miss Sure Shot, who I was walking, had placed second in class at a recent show!
It was a challenge to get them out of their main pen as they seemed quite content to stand in-front of each other and generally get in the way of any forward motion, but with a bit of coercion and a gentle nudge we got going.
I say we got going. After no more than ten, very, very, slow steps, my alpaca had decided she had had enough and sat down, looking off into the distance, her expression that of a defiant teenager stubbornly putting an end to our activity.
So after our ‘epic’ walk we removed the halters and went to visit some of the other alpaca down on the farm.
Meeting Their Mates - Alpaca Walking Experience
The cria that had been born in 2021 were kept together as a mixed sex group, whilst the older males and females were kept in separate enclosures. The male alpacas were huddling together out of the rain in a polytunnel but were happy to say hello as we popped into their pen. Hannah introduced me to them all and gave me some insight into their different quirks and personalities.
The females were mostly out in the field with some of them sheltering in their shed. A majority of the females were pregnant and would be giving birth throughout 2022 – only on dry days though! So if you were to visit in the summer you’re bound to meet some of the newer additions!
It’s All In A Name
The alpacas born at the farm are all given a wild west associated name to tie into the Sherrif part of their Sherrif Hutton location, however there are some with less obvious names, such as Ozone and Treacle. These are the alpacas that they have bought and of course they couldn’t give them an identity crisis by changing their name.
Alpaca fleece is fire resistant and hypoallergenic because it doesn’t contain any allergy inducing lanolin. The Sherrif alpaca are shorn annually and the farm make every effort to use every bit of their fleece. As it can’t be burnt, and it can’t be buried as it won’t break down, they have found creative ways to make use of it all.
Most of the fleece is sent to the mill where it is spun and turned into items of clothing, or used for stuffing for pillows and duvets. Some of the smallest bits of fleece have even been put into bird feeders as our feathered friends like to use it for nest building! There’s a selection of goods available in a small shop on the site along with some of their home grown organic produce.
‘Pac’ked Full Of Alpaca Information
I was amazed by what I learnt about these wonderful creatures. Below are some of the brilliant things I remembered.
- Alpacas can live to be up to 20 years old.
- Baby alpaca are called cria.
- Alpacas will only give birth on a dry day! They also usually always give birth in the morning.
- They are pregnant for around 11 and a half months, (but if there are a lot of rainy days they might go over!)
- They can have multiple offspring but it’s rare for them to have more than one at a time.
- Alpaca females will get depressed if they are never pregnant. They are a pack animal but a depressed alpaca will take itself off to a corner and keep away from the rest. Even if they sadly loose the baby, they won’t be susceptible to depression.
- They can spit – but not if they are happy, so as long as you don’t get in between them and their food, you should be alright!
- They are vegetarians and will graze on grass all day long, but were happy to eat the pellets we gave them too.
Want To Try It Yourself?
There are lots of places in the UK that offer alpaca or llama experiences. Take a look in your local tourist information or go on line to find one near you.
- I went with Sheriff Alpacas who have a variety of bookable experiences. There are opportunities to meet them one to one, to overnight camp in their field, have picnics, parties, walks, and they’ve even got a wedding booking!
Cost Of Experience
- I booked in for the 1 hour group walk which cost £20 in 2022.
- Usually this means walking with other people, but due to the bad weather and no one else booking on, my experience was adapted.
Recommendations
- This is an outdoor activity so check the forecast to decide what to wear.
- Alpacas have their own personalities, so even though you might book in for a particular activity, they might decided to do their own thing!
- They are really cute and quirky creatures, and definitely worth meeting up close!
- Don’t forget your camera and get some photos of your wildlife encounter!