Swap the wild ponies of the New Forest for a hands-on alpaca walk just up the road. Lead your own halter-trained alpaca on a relaxed two-hour ramble at Itchen Valley Country Park.
If a day in the New Forest has given you a taste for gentle animals and open countryside, our guided alpaca walks are the perfect follow-on. You will have watched the wild ponies grazing the heath around Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst; now it is your turn to take the lead rope and stroll alongside one of our own halter-trained alpacas. We are based at Itchen Valley Country Park on the north-eastern edge of the Forest, an easy hop up the A31 and M27 from Lyndhurst, Lymington, Ringwood and the surrounding villages.
Most Forest visitors reach us in around twenty-five to thirty-five minutes. From Lyndhurst it is a straightforward run east on the A31 and onto the M27, leaving at Junction 5 for West End; from Brockenhurst or Lymington add a little time along the country lanes before you join the dual carriageway. The park has free on-site parking, so you can pair a morning among the Forest's ancient oaks with an afternoon meeting our herd without a lengthy journey in between.
Each experience lasts around two hours and begins with a proper introduction to your alpaca and a quick lesson in reading their body language. With one of our experienced handlers alongside you, you will then set off on the shady woodland and meadow trails that thread through Itchen Valley. Alpacas move at a wonderfully unhurried pace, pausing to browse the hedgerows, and the calm rhythm of the walk is exactly what people love after the wide-open bustle of the Forest.
Everyone is welcome. Children aged three to twelve share a lead rope with an accompanying adult, twelve to sixteen-year-olds can hold their own lead with an adult present, and anyone sixteen or over walks independently. Our forty-strong herd has plenty of characters, from bold youngsters to serene older boys, so there is a good match for nervous first-timers and confident animal lovers alike.
Walks start from £32 per person, with family packages from £92 and gentle baby-alpaca walks from £54. You can add an extra walker for £18, and rescheduling insurance is available for £4.50 should the famous New Forest weather follow you northwards. Gift vouchers make a lovely keepsake of a Forest break. We are a family-run, BAS-registered farm with sixteen years of experience, so you are in safe and knowledgeable hands. To check dates, call us on 0333 050 4012 or book online.