Callanish Alpacas — Attraction in Scotland

Do you know when you say "it's time for a cuppa" and the first place you see is set back off the road with a huge sign in it saying "Coffee and Crafts " and you think 'let's try here".

Well if you are on Lewis and beat the Callanish Stones you address in the right neighbourhood, so do yourself a favour and call in.

We arrived about 1630 and on arrival immediately awarded the "best name ever" award before we'd even got out the car.

Why? Well the Croft owners keep a menagerie of birds and animals, one breed if which are Alpacas. The cafe name "Alpacaccino" seriously best name ever. We were greeted by Claire (one half of the Croft) and Topaz, the most showy of the menagerie, and it was a warm, sincere welcome.

Inside the cafe and the menu on the blackboard had us wishing we're had called in earlier, I almost fainted in excitement when I noticed one cake offering was Bread and butter pudding cake. It's nice to know I'm not the only person who makes this as a cake instead if a dessert.

Drinks were ordered and then cameras came out to take photos if the cocoa decoration.

Seriously this place is just a gem.

After partaking of both the cafe hospitality and Topaz's catwalk show, Claire knight took us round the Croft's residents. Go! Honestly I don't care what age toy are, go.

The Alpacas and the sheep are little happy children running around playing together, the goats act like the teenagers trying to be above it all, get wanting to know what's going on all the time. The chooks, oh the marvellous variety of hens is just wonderful. The silkies, the cockerels each with their own name and personality.

Then there's the ducks, Indian Runner and local wild ones who've made the Croft the place to raise their young.

We had know idea how much we were going to enjoy or last stop of the day, we half expected to be about 29 minutes to half an hour.

Instead we were there well after the cafe closed, checking with Martin (the other half) as to how the poorly hen got on at the vet and left with 2.5 dozen eggs.

GO!

PS if you do go and have children, please be responsible and ensure your kids don't chase the...

I've never visited a place like Callanish Alpacas before and not sure there are many that will match it. From the genuine, warm welcome, to the lovely home cooked soup and baking and drinks in the café, to the knowledgeable tour around the croft, I came away slightly overwhelmed. What Claire and Martin have achieved is remarkable. Along with a dedicated regular band of local volunteers and those who purposely come to Lewis to help, they have created a safe and dedicated oasis for their menagery of fleecy and feathery family. The food was very tasty, lots of lovely gifts in the shop and a story attached to the majority of the animals who call Callanish Alpacas their home. You shouldn't have favourites, but Angelo stole my heart. A must visit place and well worth a donation, however large or small, to ensure this welcoming place can continue to go from strength to strength rescuing and nurturing the animals and helping to educate those who visit. Their out reach work to those who struggle with life is so heart-warming too. If you don't leave this place feeling uplifted, then I would be genuinely surprised. Thank you for...

Our group of 3 had a wonderful time and we can’t thank you enough. This Croft really has a personal touch. We were pretty much given a 1-1 tour round the different pens with the animals. We got a chance to feed some of the sheep and the poultry. We are farmers ourselves, and completely understand the need for boundaries with some animals and so it was explained that with the high amount of visitors that morning, we may not be able to get close and pet one of the alpacas, which I really respected. We got a history of the animals and how they came to live at Callanish Alpacas. There was an on site cafe which was amazing. It was staffed when we were there. The point of sale within the cafe is very modern and works on an honesty system with the option to make a donation for the upkeep of the animals which we were delighted to do, given how amazing our morning was. Thank you again for a...