If you live in Portsmouth, your default day out probably involves salt air. Nothing wrong with that. But every so often it is worth pointing the car the other way — inland, up the M27 — and spending a morning in a field with an alpaca on a lead rope. This is a practical guide to doing exactly that.
Where it is and how long it takes
Hensting Alpacas run guided walks from Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Lane, West End, Southampton, SO30 3HQ. From Portsmouth it is a straightforward M27 westbound run of about 35 minutes in normal traffic — nearer 30 from Cosham or Port Solent, a touch more from Southsea. There is parking at the country park and a café on site, so nobody has to go straight back to the car afterwards. Full details of the walk are on our Alpaca Walking near Portsmouth page.
What the two hours actually look like
The experience runs to roughly two hours. It opens with a proper introduction: who the alpacas are, how they think, how to hold a lead rope so that both you and the animal stay relaxed. Then you are paired with a halter-trained alpaca and you walk him — you, not the handler — along the park's meadow and woodland trails, with one of our experienced team with the group throughout.
The pace is slow by design. Alpacas are browsers; they stop, they consider a hedge, they move on. What surprises most first-timers is how quickly you stop trying to hurry and simply fall into their rhythm. Come home from a Hensting walk and you will have burned an ordinary number of calories and an extraordinary amount of stress.
Who it works for
Everyone, with sensible adjustments. Children aged 3 to 12 share a lead rope with an adult, which works far better than it sounds — small hands on the rope, adult hands behind them. From 12 to 16 a young person leads their own alpaca with an adult in the group. From 16 upwards you are fully independent with your own animal.
It also holds up well for the harder-to-please categories: teenagers who claim not to be interested (they are, within four minutes), grandparents who cannot manage a long hike, and nervous adults who have never been near a large animal. Alpacas do not jump up, do not bark, and are not remotely interested in your sandwiches. They are about the least intimidating large animal you could learn on.
Accessibility
We run dedicated accessible walks every Wednesday from April to October, and carer tickets are free. If you have specific access needs, ring us before booking and we will tell you honestly what the ground conditions are like on the day and route around anything difficult.
What to wear (Portsmouth's coastal instincts will mislead you)
This is a field, not a promenade. Trainers or boots you do not mind muddying, trousers rather than anything floaty, and one layer more than the coast would suggest — inland Hampshire runs a degree or two cooler and there is no sea breeze to warm you up. Rain is not a cancellation: the alpacas have far better coats than you do, and the woodland canopy takes the edge off a shower. Bring a camera or a charged phone, because you will want the photographs.
What it costs
Walks start from £32 per person. Family packages start from £92, our baby-alpaca walks from £54, and an extra walker can be added from £18. Rescheduling insurance is £4.50 if you would like the flexibility, and gift vouchers are available — a reliably good answer to the annual question of what to get someone who has everything.
How to book
Book online through the calendar, choosing a date and time that suits. Weekends and school holidays go first, so if you have a particular Saturday in mind, do not leave it to the week before. If you would rather talk to a person, call 0333 050 4012.
Hensting Alpacas is family-run, sixteen years in, BAS-registered, with a herd of more than forty animals. We are not a theme park and we do not pretend to be. We are a field, a herd, and a couple of hours you will still be talking about on the drive back down the M27.