If you live around Hamble-le-Rice, you're used to weekends built around the water — sailing, the ferry, a wander along the marina. An alpaca walk sounds like an odd fit for a village so tied to the river, but that's exactly why it works as a change of pace: twenty minutes inland and you're leading your own alpaca round open parkland instead of watching for the tide.
What Happens on the Walk
You'll arrive at Itchen Valley Country Park in West End, Southampton, where our team matches you with an alpaca suited to your group before you head out. You hold the lead yourself — this isn't a spectator activity — and your handler walks with you for the full two hours, steering you round the paths, paddocks and woodland edges the alpacas know best. Expect a fair bit of stopping to let your alpaca graze; that's normal, and part of why the pace suits people who don't want a route march.
Who It Suits
We get a real mix from the Hamble area: couples looking for something different from a pub lunch, sailing club groups after their race is done for the day, and families filling a Saturday between school runs. Children aged 3 to 12 share a lead with an adult, 12 to 16 year-olds can hold their own lead with an adult nearby, and over-16s walk independently. If someone in your group needs extra support, our accessible walks run every Wednesday from April to October with free carer tickets.
Making a Day of It
Because the park is such a short hop from Hamble — about twenty minutes via Netley and Weston, or through Bursledon and Botley if you're coming from the far side of the river — it's easy to pair with brunch by the marina beforehand or a late lunch back in the village afterwards. Plenty of our Hamble visitors treat it as the middle stop in a longer day rather than a destination in itself.
What to Wear and Bring
Sensible, closed-toe shoes are the one thing that matters — the park paths can be muddy after rain, even when the weather's otherwise fine. Layers are sensible given how exposed some stretches of the park are to the breeze coming up off the Solent. Leave valuables in the car; you'll want both hands free for the lead rope and your camera.
Prices and Booking
Walks start from £32 per person, with family packages from £92 and baby-alpaca walks from £54. An extra walker can join your group for £18, and rescheduling insurance is £4.50 if you'd rather not lose your slot to bad weather. Gift vouchers are available too, which go down well with anyone in the village who's already done the obligatory boat trip and wants something they haven't tried. Full details and availability for our alpaca walking near Hamble experience are on the booking calendar, or call us on 0333 050 4012 if you'd rather talk it through first.
Getting There
We're based at Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Lane, West End, Southampton, SO30 3HQ — free parking on site, and well signposted once you're off the M27.