Atbrockmoorhead alpaca walking and crafts

Walking alpacas through Herefordshire countryside sounds either brilliant fun or completely mad, depending on your outlook - and honestly, it's both. Atbrockmoorhead, just outside Ross-on-Wye, lets you lead these oddly charismatic creatures along farm trails while they spit at each other rather than you, which feels like a minor victory.

The operation is part working farm, part experience. You'll get a proper introduction to your alpaca before heading out - they're surprisingly calm once you've got the hang of holding their lead, though they do have opinions about which direction to walk. The grounds aren't vast, so reckon on an hour to ninety minutes unless you're stopping for crafts. That's where it gets interesting: the on-site craft activities give fidgety kids something to do besides poke the animals, and honestly, hand-making something alongside a day out beats another round of the gift shop tat.

Who'll love it? Families with under-tens will find it properly engaging. Dog-walkers might find it a bit gimmicky, but country types who enjoy close encounters with unusual livestock should book in. It's not a full day out, but combined with the nearby caravan parks - Haywood Farm is less than a mile away, making it dead convenient - it works as a morning or afternoon activity before heading into Ross-on-Wye for lunch.

Best tip: go midweek if you can. Weekends get rammed with school groups, and alpacas are definitely better when there's not a queue forming behind you. Bit of muddy grass after rain makes it proper countryside, not a manicured tourist trap.