Alpaca farm

This weekend we paid our first visit to White Peak Farm which is an alpaca farm. I'd seen an alpaca farm in Cheshire mentioned on a TV programme and a quick search found that it wasn't too far from us. After a 30 minute drive, we were there. 

We were greeted by one of the owners, a lovely lady who showed us around then left us to wander off by ourselves. 

It was a scorching hot day and a lot of the alpacas grouped together in the shade of a large tree

but this one put his legs in the drinking water and tried to flick it on himself. There is a large pond that the alpacas usually have access to but at the moment the owners had some magpie geese with their young there.

They were quite curious creatures and approached us but didn't get close enough to be stroked.

I think this handsome looking chap named Vanilla was my favourite even though he was a bit of a trouble maker with the babies.

White Peak Farm is also home to some other animals many of which were rescue animals.

Little L was pleased to be able to pet the donkey and Shetland pony. These were housed near this gorgeous woodland area along with some rheas, a goat and a guanaco.

The farm has a small shop that mainly sells alpaca wool and items made using it. The owner demonstrated how she makes the wool on her spinning wheel. Little L was amazed, it was 'awesome'. Sometimes I forget that she has never seen this kind of thing before and I suppose as time goes by less and less children probably will. I had a good chit chat to the lady about alpaca fleece and wool. We bought one of the balls that you can see hanging up outside the shop. They are to hang in the garden so birds can pick out the alpaca fleece for nest building but at the moment Little L wants to put it in her room because its so soft.

We had only just driven out of the farm when Little L asked if we could go again so I guess she enjoyed her day out.