Swap the Andover high street for a two-hour countryside walk with your own halter-trained alpaca at Itchen Valley Country Park, just down the A3057.
If you live in or around Andover and fancy trading the Saturday shops for something a bit more unusual, alpaca walking at Itchen Valley Country Park is around 45 minutes down the A3057 and A27, and it's not something you'll find any closer to home. There's no alpaca trekking centre in the Test Valley itself, which is exactly why so many of our regular walkers make the drive down from Andover, Weyhill and the villages around Thruxton.
This isn't a paddock photo opportunity. You're given your own halter-trained alpaca to lead around the park for a full two hours, alongside one of our experienced handlers who knows every animal's quirks. Itchen Valley Country Park itself is a real change of scenery from the chalk streams and farmland around Andover — proper Hampshire woodland and open meadow, with the River Itchen running through it. We keep more than 40 alpacas here, so no two walks feel quite the same depending on who you're paired with that day.
Andover doesn't have a huge amount in the way of unusual family days out on its doorstep, and a lot of what's nearby leans towards the same soft-play-and-cafe routine. An alpaca walk gives you two hours of genuinely fresh air and a story worth telling afterwards, and because Itchen Valley Country Park sits just off the M3/A27 corridor, it's an easy add-on to a wider day trip toward Southampton or Winchester rather than a whole day committed to the drive. Families travelling from Andover often pair the walk with lunch in Winchester on the way back, since it's roughly the midpoint.
All ages are welcome. Children aged 3 to 12 share a lead with an adult, those aged 12 to 16 can hold their own lead with an adult present, and anyone 16 and over walks independently. We also run accessible walks every Wednesday between April and October with free carer tickets, which is worth knowing if you're bringing a wider group from Andover for a birthday or family gathering.
Walks start from £32 per person, with family packages from £92 and baby alpaca walks from £54. An extra walker can join for £18, and we'd recommend adding rescheduling insurance for £4.50 given the drive involved — British weather being what it is. Gift vouchers are available if you're booking on someone else's behalf. Give us a call on 0333 050 4012 or book online, and we'll see you at Allington Lane.