Live in Sholing and fancy something gentler than the weekend retail park? Lead your own alpaca through Itchen Valley Country Park on a two-hour guided walk, a short hop across Southampton.
Sholing sits on the quieter eastern bank of the River Itchen, a neighbourhood of terraces, allotments and shoreline paths. It is a lovely place to live, but when the weekend arrives and the children need wearing out, most of us end up in the same few spots. Here is something different: a slow, soft, slightly comical walk with an alpaca on the end of your lead rope.
Our walks start at Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Lane, West End, SO30 3HQ. From Sholing you head north and loop round the top of the Itchen via the M27 or the main roads through Swaythling and Eastleigh's edge. Allow a comfortable drive, check your sat-nav for the day's traffic, and park on site. Plenty of Sholing families make it a morning out and still have the afternoon free.
You are matched with a halter-trained alpaca from our herd of more than 40 and introduced to your handler, who has years of experience with the animals. After a short briefing on how alpacas move, how to hold the lead and how to read their ears (they are very expressive), you set off across the country park for around two hours. There is no riding and no rushing. You simply stroll, chat, take photos and let your alpaca graze whenever it fancies a mouthful.
Many of our guests from the east side of Southampton tell us they enjoy swapping city noise for river meadows and woodland edges. It is a screen-free outing that works for couples, grandparents with grandchildren, friends catching up and anyone who wants a calm few hours.
Walks start from £32 per person, with family packages from £92 and baby alpaca walks from £54. Extra walkers are £18, and rescheduling insurance is £4.50. Everyone is welcome: children aged 3 to 12 share a lead with an adult, 12 to 16 year olds lead with an adult present, and those aged 16 and over can walk independently. We also run accessible walks every Wednesday from April to October, with free carer tickets. Gift vouchers are available too. Book online or call 0333 050 4012.