Strangford Bay Alpacas — Attraction in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

This was our first visit to Strangford Alpacas - Id treated my OH for the Private Experience as a birthday treat. We were greeted with a warm welcome from owner Katie and taken to meet the alpacas in their housing in the field. After a helpful and informative history of the breed, their care and breeding from their origins in South America to their rising popularity in Europe, we set off with our two alpaca friends Donny and Dobby for a walk round the estate. Was it a walk or a meander? Hard to tell as we soon slipped into their pace..i think, on reflection, we were the ones being walked? Alpacas have a very "Mañana" attitude and like to take in the scenery...not to mention bits of grass and vegetation. We had a gentle dander through the well established wooded areas of the grpunds and down to the grassy flanks of the shore. We stopped for our new found friends to dip their toes in the lough and admire the view...they did the toe dipping..we admire the view. A friendly wave from a local fisherman collecting lobster pots just reminded us of the age old trades that have plied their way up and down its waters for centuries.There is something very calming about the area and the whole alpaca scene....it you could possibly bottle the atmosphere and peace of the place said bottles would fly out of the door -an antidote to the madness and noise of everyday life....(and "macho" has a whole new meaning now! ) A truly pleasant morning in beautiful historic surroundings. Well worth the trip. Thank you Katie for sharing your knowledge and passion for these...

We visited Strangford Bay Alpacas today to do the walk to the shore with the alpacas. First we had the opportunity to feed the alpacas and were told how to handle them. They are very gentle animals. We walked to the shore, where there was a beautiful view and we could paddle in the water with the alpacas. Each family group got photos taken at a nearby spot with the water in the background. We had a look around a lovely small church in the grounds while the alpacas waited outside. (The estate is also a wedding venue). Then it was back to the field where we started and another opportunity to feed the alpacas. There were hand washing/sanitising facilities at the end. The two members of staff were friendly and knowledgeable. A very...

Highly recommend for a family day out. 2 kids ages 14&9 really enjoyed the alpaca day out, you start by meeting and greeting them, feeding them then taking them on a walk with the beautiful views of strangford lough. Tracy our host was absolutely fantastic, very knowledgeable was able to answer any questions and educate us on the animals. My husband is in a wheelchair and even though not all of the walk was accessible (which I knew in advance) he could get round a lot of it and really enjoyed it also. Will definitely be back, thank you Tracy. One thing I found the place tricky to find with no signage but Tracy rang me and directed me- we really liked her and thought she was perfect...