Alpaca treks firm is a hit with visitors

AN Angus alpaca-trekking business, which came about by accident, is flourishing.

David’s Hill Alpacas continues to expand its collection of animals, which are proving popular with a wide variety of visitors.

The popular enterprise – which has had many five-star reviews on Tripadvisor – is based at St Vigeans, Arbroath.

It is owned by former childminder Jayne Yule, whose family helps with the venture when not doing their own regular jobs.

Husband Tommy and sons Tommy, 23, and Benjamin, 18, are all lobster fishermen, while daughter Brodie, 21, works for a local estate agent.

Jayne explained how the business started. She said: “We have been here since 2011 and the house came with six acres of land.

“We were looking for animals to keep the grass down and weren’t keen on sheep.

“My oldest son mentioned alpacas – we started to research them and found they were gentle on the land due to having soft pads on their feet. They just seemed to be a perfect fit for us.

“We originally bought our first four alpacas as pets.

“We built a shelter in our garden and the alpacas had part of our land fenced off. As we got more of them we built extra shelters and fenced off most of our land.”

Alpacas originate from Peru, Chile and Bolivia. They are herd animals and should be kept in groups of three or more.

Jayne says the animals are very gentle, easy to handle and can be halter-trained. They are also hardy and relatively problem-free.

She quickly found members of the public were interested in meeting the alpacas.

“People were coming down to see the alpacas over the fence and asking if we did farm visits,” she laughed.

“We decided then that we would start our trekking experiences, as it could help with feeding and vet bills.”

David’s Hill Alpacas started trading in 2019, just a few months after the alpacas arrived. Jayne said the family was shocked at the high level of public interest.

She said: “We quickly book up during school holidays, and weekends always book up fast. We do two treks a day with up to six alpacas on each walk.

“After the mini trek, visitors get to meet the whole herd before trying a needle felting craft working with the alpaca fleece.

“We have had people here from all over the world. There is no typical visitor – they include the likes of families with children, adult groups, mental health groups and college visits.

“We have had a fantastic response to our trekking experience. The venture has well and truly exceeded our expectations.”

There are currently seven female alpacas, with three babies due this summer. Three pygmy goats have also been added.

Jayne added: “We plan to add more alpacas and do more work with their fleece. We just opened our new gift shop craft area selling alpaca products and our very popular felting kits.”