Lead your own halter-trained alpaca through the Itchen Valley meadows — just a short drive from Bishop's Waltham's market square and palace ruins.
Bishop's Waltham is one of Hampshire's prettiest market towns — timbered shopfronts, a ruined medieval bishop's palace, and a wide, willow-fringed lake at its heart. It's also closer to our alpacas than most people realise. If you live in or around Bishop's Waltham, Swanmore, Durley or Upham, a Hensting Alpacas walk is one of the easiest big days out you can have without driving into Southampton or Winchester proper.
From Bishop's Waltham it's roughly a fifteen to twenty minute drive along the B2177 and B3035 into West End, Southampton, where our herd of more than 40 halter-trained alpacas graze the meadows of Itchen Valley Country Park. Swap the town's cobbled square for open parkland, hedgerows and the gentle Itchen valley — a proper rural reset that doesn't eat your whole day.
You'll meet your alpaca at the paddock gate, get a quick introduction to haltering and leading from one of our experienced handlers, and then set off on a guided route through the country park — around two hours all told, including plenty of time for photos and fuss. Each walker leads their own alpaca, so this isn't a spectator experience; you're genuinely in charge of your animal for the walk, with the handler on hand the whole way.
Families from Bishop's Waltham often combine it with a wider day out — Itchen Valley Country Park has picnic areas and play space if you want to make an afternoon of it. Couples and small groups from the town use it as an easy weekend outing, and it's proved popular as a slightly different birthday or anniversary treat for people who've exhausted the usual Bishop's Waltham pub-lunch options. Children aged 3–12 share a lead with an adult, those 12–16 can lead independently with an adult present, and over-16s walk solo.
Walks run from £32 per person, with family packages from £92 and baby-alpaca walks from £54. We're family-run and BAS-registered, with sixteen years of experience and 40+ alpacas on site, so you're in properly experienced hands. Given the short drive over, it's easy to book a morning slot and still be back in Bishop's Waltham in time for lunch.