A hands-on family day out near Southampton where children and grown-ups each lead their own friendly alpaca through Itchen Valley Country Park.
Looking for a family day out that swaps screens for something woolly, muddy and genuinely memorable? Our Family Alpaca Walks at Itchen Valley Country Park give everyone in the family — from curious three-year-olds to teenagers who claim to be bored of everything — a real animal to look after for the morning. Rather than watching from behind a fence, each person gets to hold a halter and stroll alongside a gentle, halter-trained alpaca with one of our experienced handlers close by. It is calm, it is a little bit funny, and it turns out to be the sort of thing families talk about for weeks afterwards.
We designed these walks so no child is left out. Little ones aged three to twelve share a lead rope with a parent, so they feel fully involved while an adult keeps things steady. Youngsters aged twelve to sixteen can take their own alpaca as long as a grown-up walks with the group, and anyone sixteen and over is welcome to lead independently. Because our herd of more than forty alpacas has such different characters, we can pair a shy child with one of our mellowest boys and a lively teenager with a more spirited walker.
The whole experience lasts around two hours and follows the gentle, mostly flat trails that wind through the woodland and water meadows of the park. There is time to learn how to hold the lead, plenty of pauses for photographs, and a proper chance to ask our team every question your children can dream up — and they will. Along the way we talk about how alpacas live, why they hum, and what those enormous eyelashes are for.
You will find us at Allington Lane, West End, Southampton, SO30 3HQ, roughly fifteen minutes from Southampton, Winchester and Eastleigh and a straightforward drive from Portsmouth, Fareham, Romsey and the New Forest. There is parking on site and space for a picnic afterwards. Family packages start from £92, individual places from £32 per person, and if the great British weather looks doubtful you can add rescheduling insurance for £4.50 per booking.
We are a family-run, BAS-registered farm ourselves, and after sixteen years of introducing families to our alpacas we still love watching a nervous first-timer turn into a beaming expert. Read our complete family guide for tips on ages, what to wear and how to make the most of your visit, then pick your date and come and meet the herd.