We visited Alpaca Meadows to walk an alpaca and this is how it went

After trying to find something different to fill my Sunday afternoon, I decided to try out a local tourist attraction and embark on an alpaca walk. 

Despite being only a fifteen-minute drive from central Worcester, my visit to Alpaca Meadows in Hanley Castle felt as though I had taken a trip to the depths of the countryside.

The stunning lake and expanses of greenery made it difficult to believe that I was such a  short distance from the city. 

We parked up and were greeted with some friendly puppies and their owners who had visited the grounds for a walk.

There was also a very pretty rustic cafe but it was up a small hill to the upper part of the grounds that we found the reason for our visit

As an animal lover, I struggled to contain my excitement when I came across a cluster of beautiful alpacas and even a small, baby alpaca nestled amongst them. 

We waited by the gates for our guide, Betsy Deacon, to join us and harness up our furry friends for the afternoon. 

Myself and my partner were given a fiesty alpaca named Freddo for our walk.

Miss Deacon told us that Freddo liked to walk at the front of the group, so as the gates into the field opened he excitedly pulled us forward to start his walk. 

We were joined on our walk by a family who had two young children and Miss Deacon shared facts and information about the animals generally and also our designated alpacas and their personalities.

All of the alpacas we took on the walk were males who were about four years old.

In alpha male style, Freddo did not like to be near his fellow alpacas and kept a distance ahead of them throughout the walk. 

Alpaca Meadows: A local alpaca walking experience

Once Freddo had warmed to us and we got the hang of walking him, we got going through a number of fields around the grounds of Alpaca Meadows. 

Freddo was an absolute angel to walk, only getting nervous to go down a slight hill around halfway through the walk.

But Miss Deacon assured us that he was always nervous at that part of the walk and that after a few steps downhill he would be fine. 

All four alpacas were very friendly and happy to be stroked on their necks and backs, they were only wary of being stroked on their heads. 

The walk ended by circling one of the lakes and heading back up the road to return the alpacas to their field. 

Miss Deacon warned us that they like to lie down and rub themselves on the road before they go back to their field so we got to witness the animals' fun as they did just that. 

Before paying for our unique afternoon activity, we had a free coffee and cake included in the price of the alpaca walk. 

For two people to share one alpaca on a walk, including the refreshments, it cost £30. 

Alpaca Meadows: Free coffee and cake with your alpaca walk

It was a brilliant way to spend an afternoon for a reasonable price with a guide who was helpful and knowledgable - I would recommend Alpaca Meadows to anyone and will definitely be back myself. 

It was certainly a very different experience to your typical dog walk.