“Why would anybody want to walk an alpaca?” my husband asked when I explained our next family adventure.

He had a valid point; I had no idea, but I was looking forward to finding out. 

Woolley Animals began in its current location in 2019 when Stuart Woolley and Cathy Darcey relocated from North Devon to Winkleigh to start ‘living the dream’ – offering holiday lets, alpaca walking, goats to cuddle, and space for miniature ponies and donkeys, and Swiss Valais Blacknose Sheep. Initially, they only offered tailored animal experiences but in 2021, after many requests during the pandemic of “can we just come and see the animals?” they opened as a farm park and haven’t looked back since.

I have visited with our children twice before and absolutely fallen in love with the wholesome, rustic charm of the place – there are no playparks or any distractions from the sole focus of the farm – the animals. I love it for that fact; watching my two gleefully going through bags upon bags of reasonably priced grass nuggets and making their way round feeding all the animals, gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

The alpaca walking takes place up to twice a day and requires pre-booking which also includes your entry fee for the day. Each walker is given a bum bag with sliced carrot treats (bribes) and a safety briefing before being paired with an alpaca. 

Alpacas are amusing looking creatures, each with unique personalities as I discovered when mine initially refused to move! 

The walk itself gently meanders around the farm’s land, woodland, and lake at a slow but steady pace and as I looked back on the long line of led alpacas, all I could see were smiles. I understood the point. 

What a great way to spend an hour or so, plodding through beautiful countryside with a gentle creature with funky hair! There it was again, that fuzzy feeling, watching my children be at one with the animals and overcome any nerves to fully throw themselves into the experience. I noticed too, that throughout the duration of the walk, I hadn’t thought about anything mundane or stressful. I’d completely switched off and relaxed.

After you’ve said goodbye to your new furry friends, you’re given the opportunity to feed the goats and pigs which we all enjoyed. In fact, we stayed until closing time, making our way around holding guinea pigs and baby goats, marvelling at freshly hatched chicks, watching the popular dog show and grooming a donkey. 

We’ll be back for sure. Open weekends and school holidays, I’m sure we won’t be the only ones returning for another great day out in our favourite place.

Words and images by Mary Bennellick