About Woolville Alpacas

“Woolville Alpacas” is located at Mill Farm in a small village called Whaley on the Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire border. The location is idyllic and home to plenty of wildlife of which our beautiful herd of Huacaya Alpacas are the stars of the show.

Contact Woolville Alpacas

Booking Policy

Safety Brief 
We will take every precaution to ensure the safety of the party, However, alpaca trekking outside of Mill Farm does carry some risks and you need to be aware of these and agree that these risks are acceptable. You will be leading a large animal on rough terrain, possibly encountering horses,  dogs and vehicles. You are responsible for your own safety and that of any children in your care. Please also watch out for the safety and wellbeing of everyone around you. The trekking guides have the right to change the route, cut it short or take back control of your alpaca in the interests of safety. Trekkers of all ages will need to:
\- Stay quiet and calm around the alpacas and not make sudden movements
\- Be aware alpacas may kick if they sense something close behind them.

Most adults can easily restrain a haltered alpaca but younger children cannot. your children may be allowed to take the lead at the guide’s discretion when in a safe situation with nothing unusual happening. You must stay near the child if they are leading and be ready to take over if they get into difficulty.  

We are granted an Animal Activity licence by Bolsover District Council to offer our Alpaca experiences. We make every effort to ensure that our activities do not cause inconvenience to other users of the countryside around us. Trekking is fun! Expect a peaceful, trouble free walk, through beautiful countryside with lovely animals.

About Alpacas
Alpacas are largely confident and curious while out walking and will enjoy looking around and meeting people. They take most things in their stride but they don’t like confined spaces and may need some time and encouragement to deal with strange obstructions. Sometimes if one of us slips or breaks a twig it can startle one alpaca which startles the others, so be on the lookout for them making sudden movements and just stay stable and calm. They will soon settle down. When free in the field alpacas will back off if you try to touch them as they are making sure they won’t get caught. Once they are haltered and on a lead they give up their need to avoid you and will walk happily beside you. You may be able to lightly touch the neck but this is infringing their space so it isn’t polite to try it too often. Likewise an alpaca should respect your space and not nudge or nibble you. Never touch the rump, although our experienced handlers may do so to encourage an alpaca to move out of danger. Alpacas are herd animals – they believe in sticking close together for safety. If one gets left behind he may start to run to catch up. For the safety of the people at the back, the front party needs to stop and wait if a gap opens up between the alpacas. If you drop the lead your alpaca will stay in the group and not run off unless very alarmed. We can then pick up the lead and carry on. On a walk you are part of their herd. They trust us to be good, calm, confident leaders. This is for them as well, so make sure they have fun and get to stop and admire the view when they want to, or need a toilet break! 

Please do not allow the alpacas to eat any vegetation while trekking. You won’t have time to work out whether it’s poisonous or not and they don’t always know what’s bad for them because they come from Peru.

Our trekking routes can be steep in places with rough paths, loose stones and some mud. Please wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk for about an hour unless otherwise arranged. We can tailor the walk to suit the party’s abilities and there are some places where we can walk on site without leaving Mill Farm. It is not suitable for buggies, very young children (unless carried) or people with mobility difficulties but we can arrange alternative experiences. 

Other Animal Encounters 
Horses get spooked by strange things like alpacas. In the worst case they may bolt or rear causing harm to the rider. We like to move the alpacas off the path and if that’s not possible we turn round and walk back until we find somewhere to get out of the way. Dogs think alpacas are sheep, except that alpacas are bigger and will defend themselves. Everyone is asked to keep a look out for dogs and alert the group. If we see people approach we may call out to see if they have a dog and ask them to put the dog on a lead. We then take avoiding action – pulling the alpacas well into the side of the path or getting further away if the dog is loose. Most dogs act cautious but can turn aggressive through fear or the scent of prey. Alpacas are both alert and curious around dogs. They may attempt to touch noses if they feel the dog is safe. Do not allow this. It may provoke the dog to defend itself. 

Photos: You need to be alert and in charge of your alpaca at all times. However, taking photos is an important part of the experience so feel free to snap away when you are in a safe place with no obstacles, cars, horses, dogs etc. We will take photos for use on our social media platforms and website to promote our activities. Please let us know if you don’t want your photo to be used. Similarly, please respect the privacy of other people when posting your own photos.

Please sanitise your hands before and after your experience, we are sure you love your time with us but do feel free to let us know if we could do better.

Cancellation Policy