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.