Ings Park Alpacas is wholesome, welcoming and filled with cute animals
I spent a Sunday morning cuddling goats and it was just as much fun as you’d imagine(Image: Laura Cross)
Nestled just below the quaint East Yorkshire village of North Cave lies an experience like no other. Ings Park Alpacas – like the name suggests – is home to a herd of alpacas, and visitors can can book a range of fun, family days out from alpaca walks to a farm wrangler experience.
Also on offer is goat or sheep trekking and goat yoga (there’s even a boozy goat yoga experience). Recently the team welcomed a group of baby goats and began to offer kid feeding and cuddling.
Now who doesn’t want to spend their Sunday morning cuddling some adorable animals? The prices start from just £5 (kids under two go free) and with spring right on the horizon, I couldn’t resist paying a visit.
The immediate impression when you arrive at Ings Park Alpacas is nothing short of welcoming. We were greeted by one of the wonderful owners Natalie and an equally adorable helper – her baby Jessie.
We were shown around the farm while we waited for another group to join us – only three in total which made the experience feel relaxed. What’s immediately clear when walking around is just how much Natalie and her team cares for these animals.
From sheep, to runner ducks, pigs, geese (the biggest I think I’ve ever seen), and of course the famous alpacas, every animals was clearly happy and enjoyed socialising with kids and adults alike.
The area that guests can roam around is by no means huge but it’s this amongst many other things that make you feel like you’re visiting a friend who happens to own a farm. Even more impressive is how Natalie can instantly name each and every animal, from the likes of Adele and Beyonce the alpacas, to black duck, white duck and brown duck (there are only so many names for so many animals!).
Natalie welcomed us to a room kitted out with a heat lamp and hay, and of course the stars of the show – the goats. The four goats had equally adorable names such as Waffles and Biscuit, and they were all wearing tiny jumpers. You could immediately tell they were pleased to see us.
We all took a seat and the goats cautiously took a sniff before springing into action, jumping on the hay as well as us! Natalie explained to us the importance of the experience, and told how she had taken the new additions on only weeks ago.
She explained that two of the goats were orphaned and the other two had not been taken on by their mother. By offering this experience, it allowed the goats to get some much-needed love that they would otherwise be missing from their mothers.
But of course, we were only there for a short part of the day, so who would be giving these goats some love afterwards? Well of course that would be Natalie, who said she keeps them inside her house on a night and told us humorous stories about their antics.
There were people of all ages there, from as young as two all the way to older guests – and every single person looked just as delighted as the next. Natalie encouraged some older children to create a bridge with their backs and the goats happily climbed aboard resulting in plenty of laughter from the younger guests.
After a while, two of the goats happily fell asleep, and one (Waffles) was cuddled right into my partner. As this part of the experience came to an end, Natalie asked us to help her feed the rest of her animals.
Everyone was given a tray of food and we could feed whoever we liked (except the horse at the back). The children took great pride in feeding as many animals as possible as Natalie joined them explaining all kinds of animal facts.
Overall, it was a magical morning for families, animal-lovers and anyone looking for something wholesome and unique. While of course, the main attraction was the goats, it was hard to leave without recognising the incredible host that is Natalie.
From the get-go, she made everyone feel at home. She made sure every person got a photo holding a goat, approached sensitive topics for children like orphaned animals with grace, and had a real spark and energy that made the whole experience even more enjoyable. It is clear that this is more than just a business to her – her passion and care for the animals was evident throughout the whole experience.
You can find out more about Ings Park Alpacas on their website or on their Facebook page.
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