It was once upon a time in the land of the lakes when Emma (writer of children’s books and maker of beautifully whimsical things) found herself accidentally nodding her head when Terry (former soldier in the British Army, entrepreneur, ne’er do well, and thinker of Big Ideas) informed her that the only sensible thing to do in their spare time, was to start looking after a herd of alpacas. The reasons he gave were as follows:

• Alpacas were funny-looking and would therefore, logically, be fun to look after.
• Having done some “solid research” he had it on great authority that alpacas were the easiest of animals to care for, in fact he would go so far as to say that “they would look after themselves.” (let’s fast forward briefly to days spent covered in mud, drenched by rain and battered by howling winds, attempting to memorise the dosage on a catering sized bottle of de-wormer.)
• They had moved to The Lake District! What better way to become part of the local farming community than to breed Peruvian livestock! (fast forward to years of quizzical/disbelieving looks, conversations that begin with “so what’s that then eh? Does it bite eh?” and then of course, the downright mockery.)

Based on three whole points of such profound logic, and bearing in mind their complete lack of experience, knowledge, land, or indeed alpacas, there was only one inevitable outcome. In a move that made no sense to anyone apart from them, they gave each other a wink and went off and did it anyway.

They started with a name. Because that was clearly the important bit…

From our humble beginnings in 2017 we now have a herd of over one hundred delightfully funny-looking rehomed and rescued alpacas and llamas that is growing all the time and a hugely successful Social Enterprise, our mission is…

To provide the alpacas and llamas in our care with the best possible lives and the utmost care.

To offer a welcoming new home for life, for unwanted alpacas and llamas from all over the UK.

To provide people with hugely enjoyable and unique alpaca experiences that are accessible to all.

To immerse our visitors in the beauty of the Lake District World Heritage Site.

To share our knowledge about a fascinating species.

To design and make delightful, ethical and sustainable products that promote alpacas and their yarn.

We have set up our independent social enterprise, to make best use of our skills, and do something positive and innovative with the land where we live, bringing visitors in touch with the landscape and natural world in an enjoyable, engaging and therapeutic way. We aim to make the experiences accessible to all, adapting our approach as necessary, providing everyone with an inspiring and memorable experience!

We have found the most beautiful homes for the Alpacaly Ever After herd and are lucky enough to work with some of the most amazing businesses in The Lake District, including the Lingholm Estate along the beautiful shores of Derwent Water, where we provide alpaca walking experiences through the private grounds where Beatrix Potter spent many Summers. Walkers get to know our wonderful alpacas up close, take them for a paddle in the lake, meet the herd, take part in feeding time and ask as many alpaca questions as they can think of! There really is nothing quite so delightful as watching an alpaca take a bath in a lake, it should be recommend as a cure for all cases of melancholy and world weariness.

We also do ‘Meet The Alpacas’ every Saturday and Sunday afternoons at The Lakes Distillery near Bassenthwaite Lake where guests are welcomed on the field for a half hour mini session of alpaca shenanigans.

We are proud to be the Number One activity according to Trip Advisor in the whole of Cumbria and the North West!

We now have seven awesome full time guides on our team and with their champion efforts and skills our two newest adventures; llama trekking through the stunning Newlands Valley and alpaca walks in Whinlatter Forest Park have been hugely successful. What next? Well we are planning to start three day llama camping treks over the Lakeland fells in partnership with The Lake District Foundation…We couldn’t be more excited!

Alongside welcoming visitors from all over the world we are also proud to have provided experiences for many third sector organisations including Young Adult Respite Services, Cumbria County Councils Foster Care Services, Eden Valley Hospice, Friends of Chenobyls Children, Cumbria Headway, AWAZ Cumbria, Always Another Way Cumbria Ltd and the One In A Million Foundation.

So, not bad for a start, but Terry has grander plans ahead, in fact, he may just not stop until world domination is in his sights! All the alpaca shenanigans on our social media have lead to lots of wonderful opportunities and the Woolly Army have been featured on Salvage Hunters, ITV and BBC news, the Telegraph and i newspapers, Diply, Love Travel and we were delighted to take the Unilad team up to the top of Catbells in what we believe was the first ever alpaca walk up a Lakeland fell and the resulting awesome video received over five million views (which we thought was a lot until we made a video featuring alpacas and rainbows and it broke the internet with over 35 million views and counting!) We then teamed up with Unilad along with Virgin Trains to make a video promoting rail travel to The Lake District.

And where will the story go next? Well who can say, all we know for sure is that it has been an absolute privilege to spend time in such gentle, curious and extremely funny-looking company, and that we will be trying our hardest, every day, to make sure that our woolly army get their Alpacaly Ever After…

• Terry was a soldier and marksman in the British Army from the age of sixteen including time spent with the Intelligence Department and in three war zones. He then worked for ten years in the security sector, thus acquiring the ability to be unfazed by any situation ever. He has more Big Ideas per day than is healthy for one man.

• Emma is a writer of extraordinarily interesting children’s books, maker of beautifully whimsical things and owner of award winning design-led business ‘temporary measure’. She brings to Alpacaly the management and creative skills acquired over her seventeen years as an entrepreneur and is responsible for the design, branding, artwork and product design.

• Ruby is our incredibly practical and capable supervisor. She comes from a farming and equestrian background and has a great deal of experience in livestock management and training.

• Natasha has recently completed her BSc(hons) in Wildlife Conservation with Zoo Biology, has volunteered in the field of conservation all over the world and provides an invaluable source of skills and knowledge for the team. More on Natasha HERE

• Holly brings her experience as a World Challenge Expedition Leader, Glacier Guide and Ropes Instructor, along with the skills gained as her time as a youth counsellor and sports staff.

• Ste, after experiencing an alpaca walk while on holiday in the Lakes, left his job as supervisor with Emirates Airways in Dubai to come and work with us. He has a solid background in customer service and is currently the ‘King Of Tripadvisor’! More on Ste HERE

• Rachel grew up in the antipodes/Southern Hemisphere but her family hails from the UK. With a love of the Lake District, training as a vet nurse, a business degree in her back pocket and a passion for story telling she’s found her happy place with us here at Alpacaly Ever After.

• Nicole is a pure-bred Cumbrian who loves animals (clearly!) She also runs her own Personal Training & Sports Therapy business called NB Fitness & Therapy but wanted something a little bit different and unique to do on the side! And what’s more unique than saying that you’re an Alpaca Walker?! More on Nicole HERE