Who we are
Hensting Alpacas is a small family run business
owned by Derek and Hazel Moore in
Hampshire. We are lucky to occupy an
enviable position alongside the Itchen
navigation, a beautiful wildlife rich setting,
with stunning views across the river. We are
easy to find, being 5 mins from Junction 12 of
the M3 and ten minutes from junction 11.
Extras & Events
During the year our walks are always a
wonderful experience however, on some days
there's an added extra.
Valentine's Day is a red-letter day for lovers &
our Alpacas are real lovers, chocolates &
bubbles are available if you want to show your
valentine your romantic side.
Mothering Sunday we like to push the boat
out, with flowers, chocolates & a glass of
prosecco for your mum.
Easter weekend there are chocolate eggs to
make it eggstra-special...
Our summer walks are made special with Cria
(baby Alpaca) births most weeks. You may be
lucky enough to be present when one is
unpacked (yes really), which does happen!
Like most babies we never really know the
exact date they will arrive but we do know it
will be during the morning - Alpacas are truly
that amazing - no 3am midwife calls, but even
if you miss that excitement, you will see our
new additions at their cutest!
Summer also means Saturday afternoon walks
are on, so if the morning doesn’t work for you,
Saturday afternoons could be just the ticket!
During December our Christmas walks begin
with mulled wine and end with a snowy finish.
There will also be a small gift for our younger
guests
Keep in Touch with Us
If you who have already visited and taken part
in an alpaca walk, we really hope you enjoyed
the experience and would love you to come
and visit again. Life on the farm is very
different through the seasons, so why not
think about visiting at a different time of year?
Spring is always a lovely season, as the
weather begins to improve, the trees come
into life and the alpacas are sheared ready to
keep them cool throughout the summer
months. We also look forward to seeing the
first cria being born along with ducklings and
cygnets on the river.
Summer brings new life to the farm, cria are
usually born between May and August and if
you are really lucky you may even see one
arrive during your visit. Remember the adult
alpacas will have been sheared, so won’t be
very fluffy, but then you wouldn’t want to
walk in your winter coat would you. The
wildlife is always present and during the
summer we will see a host of dragonflies and
damselflies along the river and if you are lucky
you may spot a trout jumping.
Autumn sees a change coming, some days will
still be warm, but we get the first nip in the
air, the alpacas will be getting their thick
fleeces back now. The cria will be growing and
really showing their personalities, as they start
their halter training. We get a stunning display
of autumn colours from the trees along the
edge of the fields and as the leaves begin to
fall the alpacas enjoy nibbling on them.
Winter walks can be chilly, but nothing better
than getting out on a winter morning enjoying
seeing the alpacas in the fullest, fluffiest
fleeces, the river will be full and running fast
and, yes, it will quite likely be muddy
underfoot, so remember to bring your wellies.
Our newly trained cria will be joining the
walking team in January.…come back and walk
the little ones you saw with their mums in the
summer!
And if visiting us to experience alpaca walking
in different seasons isn’t enough for you, you
can always adopt an alpaca (click here for
more details) either for yourself or as a gift, or
purchase a walk voucher…. they make great
Christmas and birthday presents.
Our history
2008
LDerek first fell in love with alpacas 12 years
ago, in 2008, when looking for some animals
to graze his land in Hensting Lane, Owslebury,
near Winchester. Hensting Alpacas still own
the first two founding alpacas Amelia and
Narice. In May 2012, Hensting Alpacas moved
the growing Alpaca family to Kiln Lane, to our
current location by the river in Otterbourne,
near Winchester.
2014
Just a few years later in 2014, Alpaca walking
was introduced, opening up the farm to allow
the general public to share the Hensting
team’s passion for Alpacas. Over the last 6
years, our walks have become ever more
popular as the general public discover how
interesting, beautiful and inquisitive Alpacas
are.
Onwards
We maintain a breeding herd of between 45 –
60 Alpacas throughout the year, with the
walking males, our Huacaya stud male Grand
Design, our Suri stud male Faraway Kendo and
breeding females, as well as cria born each
year. Many of these are available for sale all
year round.
Our Alpacas are much loved and well looked
after by the Hensting team. We look forward
to introducing our customers, old and new to
our lovable old favourites – who can forget
Steve! As well as getting to know the
characters of our new cria, fresh from their
halter training, just starting on their walking
careers. Many of our customers return time
and again to spend time with their favourites
each year, and some even have the chance to
see some alpaca births through the spring and
early summer.
Hensting Alpacas is also home to our popular
resident sheep Ken, Eric and Ernie, and our
beautiful llama, Primrose.
So, come along and let the Hensting team
introduce you to the Alpaca way of life and
enjoy a few hours’ time out from busy lives,
on a relaxing walk with our Alpacas.
Enjoy a carefree and leisurely couple of hours
with our delightful alpacas. The alpaca
experience starts at 10am and finishes at
midday; we ask that you arrive from 9.30am
onwards and no later than 9.55am. In the
summer months, afternoon walks start at
1.30pm and finish at 3pm, with arrival
between 1pm and 1.25pm.
You will be met at the gate by one of our
friendly staff who will direct you to our secure
on-site parking area.
We ask that you wear clothing/footwear
appropriate for the weather conditions; we
walk regardless come rain or shine. During the
winter months and wet weather, due to our
close proximity to the river, wellies are
advised. If you don’t own wellies, don’t worry,
these can be hired on site for £1 when you
arrive. There is also a beautifully clean porta-
loo available!
Once parked and welcomed on to the farm,
one of our friendly members of staff will give
you a detailed talk all about alpacas! You will
get an insight into what goes on here at
Hensting Alpacas and learn lots of facts like
where alpacas originated from and why their
poo is so fantastic! You’ll also learn a bit
about how we make our beautiful baby
alpacas (cria). There may even be a joke in
there too! As well as meeting the alpacas we
want everyone to feel they have gained an
understanding of these wonderful animals. We
then set off on a gentle alpaca-pace walk
along the river, with a couple of stops for
feeding and photos, and possibly some poo
stops as well! We will swap alpacas part way
and, on our return, will get to meet and feed
the females. Finally, you will have a chance to
purchase gifts and souvenirs from our gift
shop.
We are always delighted to hear that walks
have been enjoyed or to see photos from your
visits,
It really was the best day out such an amazing
experience to spend time with these kind and
gentle animals. I can’t wait to return and
walk with the Alpaca’s again. I would 100%
recommend this to anyone!
I bought this experience as a Christmas gift
voucher for my husband and daughter and
would happily go again tomorrow if we could!
The Alpacas on this farm are beautiful, happy
and well looked after creatures, each with a
wonderful unique personality.
Meet the Alpacas
We have so many wonderful alpacas it’s
difficult to choose just a few to tell you
about here so you will have to book yourself
on a walk at Hensting Alpacas and come and
meet them all!
Steve
Steve is one of our star walkers. Our
customers giggle when they hear his name
(everyone knows a Steve) and are then
captivated by him on the walk. Steve is a
Huacaya alpaca and he has the most
beautifully coloured mid fawn fleece with a
distinctive white spot on his top knot. He is
confident and calm and he has a lovely
temperament and a gentle nature. Children
and adults alike fall in love with him on our
alpaca walks as he is a very relaxing
character to get to know and spend time
with. Steve is also confident within the
group and he has a positive relationship with
all of the other males in the herd. Socially,
Steve hangs out a lot with Ajax who some
others in the group may consider a bit
grumpy as the elder statesman in the herd.
Come and find out why Steve is such a big
favourite with so many of our guests.
Tiger’s Eye
Tiger’s Eye is the oldest of our cria born in
2019. With his status as the oldest in the
group comes a certain amount of
cheekiness. There is always a stand out
character in the herd of cria and this year
that character is Tiger’s Eye. Early on he
tried to escape through gates so he could
join on the walks even when he hadn’t been
halter trained. Guess who tried to escape his
pen a couple of weeks into being weaned off
his mum Symphony. You guessed it. Tiger’s
Eye! A beautiful light fawn colour, Tiger’s
Eye is a Huacaya alpaca and continues to
flourish and is a fun member of the cria
walking team.
Jet
Another of the class of 2019 cria (we had 13
births in 2019), Jet really stands out in the
herd. He is a Suri alpaca so his fleece is
completely different to the other cria
growing downwards and like dreadlocks. He
looks majestic when he walks and runs with
his lustrous white fleece flowing and moving
as he walks. Jet is the first born of our Suri
stud male Kendo and he has inherited his
handsome features and quirky character. We
can’t wait to see him as an adult and with
his magnificent full fleece.
New Alpaca my Picnic and alpaca my flask