A Lake District alpaca farm has been awarded TripAdvisor's prestigious Travellers' Choice Award 2021, ranking it among the travel review website's top 10% of destinations in the world for the second year running.
Alpacaly Ever After, a not-for-profit social enterprise based in Braithwaite, near Keswick, rescues and re-homes alpacas and llamas.
And since the launch in October 2017, its popularity has sky-rocketed, with demand to book and spend time with the alpacas at an all-time high.
READ MORE: TripAdvisor ranks Lancashire farm among best in the world
The family-friendly farm specialises in offering experiences for a plethora of sectors and organisations, from the Launchpad Veterans Service to Cumbria County Council's foster care service.
Visitors can meet and feed the woolly wonders or take them on a walk through the private grounds at Lingholm Estate, wander down to the lake where they may even have a paddle or wade through the forest at Winlatter.
A newer addition to activities is llama trekking, which includes a full day's adventure in the Catbells and Maiden Moor, over looking Derwentwater.
"We often book up quite far in advance," said Alpacaly Ever After co-director Emma Smalley.
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Emma set up the project with her partner, Terry Barlow, after the pair relocated to Cumbria from Manchester.
She said: "We are really proud to have won this award, and whenever a guide gets a positive review, we'll post it in our group chat.
"It's nice to know when you are having a positive impact on people. It's a big pat on the back, it really means a lot."
"We have grown so much in the past four years.
"We get people approaching us to work with us and one of our guides gave up his job as an air steward in Dubai to come here".
Seven full time guides care for the animals, and Emma says its the staff who are the reason visitors return for multiple trips - as well as the "wonderful" alpacas, of course.
Emma says her guides know "everything" about the animals, from their personalities to talking about why a certain one is their favourite and she admires her staff's "dedication, passion and hard work".
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Since 2017, 140 alpacas have been re-homed and rehabilitated. And it is not just the furry friends that seem to benefit from their second chance at life, with their approachable and cuddly nature clearly therapeutic for people.
Emma said: "We see visitors coming back three or four times, and I think they love the fact their money is going towards a great cause.
"A lady who visited us recently wrote to us, and told us the alpacas changed her life.
"She has since started to volunteer at her local farm, and it's amazing to hear what a difference the alpacas can make.
"They are so calming".
In a number of recent reviews, visitors to Alpacaly Ever After have taken to TripAdvisor to rave about their experience with Milky, Barny, Kitty and friends.
"Gorgeous chilled animals living their best life with a fabulous team of people who genuinely love them and care for their every need," wrote mrscarolinemeredith.
While Adrienne said: "Walking with the alpacas was such a lovely experience, they are so gentle and easy to handle, the park grounds are beautiful and taking the alpacas into the water was great.
"We had Popeye and Howard who were both lovely. Our guide Sam was brilliant he knew everything about the alpacas and the park and made our day even better.. I would highly recommend the walk to all ages."
It is recommended you pre-book your visit to Alpacaly Ever After due to demand and to avoid missing out on seeing the #woollyarmy up close and personal.
Fancy an adventure you say? Alpaca my bags...
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