Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Severnwyne Llama and Donkey Trekking cont.

As a follow on to this I thought that I would show you some more pictures of our recent trekk in the Forrest of Dean. After a little detour due the poor satellite navigation we parked the car and this was our first view of the lake near the starting point at Mallards Pike.
Remember at this point Embee had no idea what he was doing as this was his birthday surprise! I wonder what he thought when he saw this lorry!This was the first view we had of the animals.I think Nelson was very sensible to get as much rest as possible before we started out.Beccy getting acquainted.
Geoffrey looks pretty contented, but he doesn't know what's in store for later! The grandchildren making friends with James. Ben really loves animals so it was a perfect activity for him.James made sure he had plenty of energy for the trekk. Llamas can be very stubborn, especially if they spy succulent leaves that they fancy eating. They actually walk in order and if one stops so does the following Llama as you can see here. Beccy seems to be in control and Ben was actually very good at keeping his Llama walking. The leading Llama was called Cassanova and he is a retired stud (I'm sure I don't need to go into detail!)When you gotta go you gotta go; and when one stops to poop it's not long before others follow suit.Embee did walk some of the way but he mainly brought up the rear in the donkey cart!
We were all ready for the picnic and a sit downGeoffrey was very patient and stood quietly without being tethered. Ben kept him company for some of the time so he didn't get lonely. After lunch we completed the trekk,(by a slightly shorter route), in all we had walked about 6 miles so Ben decided to take a ride and even drove the cart. I think Geoffrey was getting a bit weary by this time! I'm sure that the dogs who came with us did about four times the miles as they were racing around the whole time, clearly enjoying every minute of freedom.


We all had a lovely day and we went back to the farm to see some of the other animal including camels which also come on the trekks. We had lots of people stop to talk to us and everyone seemed genuinely interested in the llamas. Although I gather not everyone approves of the activity and the guy who owns the business has, in the past, had a lot of trouble with animal activists. He clearly cares for the animals and is quite passionate about their welfare.

This part of the Forest of Dean is a lovely spot for a picnic, walking, bike rides, boating, and Go Ape zip wiring.

Archives:
2008: Fun Monday-79 What will it be.... a question or a bird!
2007: Signs speak louder than words

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12 Comments:

At 18/8/09 20:01, Blogger Unknown said...

What a great day out!

 
At 18/8/09 20:02, Blogger Beccy said...

It wasn't the sat nav's fault, it was lack of a decent address to set the sat nav to. If I'd known it was next to go ape I would've got us there no problem.

 
At 18/8/09 21:20, Blogger Rayne said...

This looks like so much fun.

 
At 18/8/09 22:28, Blogger Sam said...

why didn't you post a link to the map of the route I made for you?

 
At 18/8/09 22:35, Blogger ChrisB said...

sam because I forgot.

 
At 18/8/09 23:49, Blogger willowtree said...

I'm confused, what the heck were the Llamas for? Dragging them along would have only made the walk more exhausting.

 
At 19/8/09 06:29, Blogger Mal Kiely [Lancelots Pram] said...

Glorious. Simply glorious!!!

 
At 19/8/09 11:26, Blogger ChrisB said...

WT there is no real purpose just the pleasure of walking with the llama's. They are quite friendly and Ben loved being able to pet the llamas.

 
At 19/8/09 16:42, Blogger wendishness said...

I'm surprised none of them spat at you LOL (they are known to spit at people - I didn't mean you guys in particular hehe)

Even though you're just wandering along, I guess it's a bit like taking an exotic dog on a walk isn't it, does look fun though though a camel ride would've been way cool.

 
At 20/8/09 08:20, Blogger Unknown said...

What a fun way to spend a day! Happy Birthday to your man! :)

 
At 20/8/09 17:02, Anonymous Hazel said...

It was a great day wasn"t it and the llamas were lovely. By the end of the walk I"d become really attached to Mika Hakkinen. Good photos and nice meeting you all.

 
At 20/8/09 18:22, Blogger ChrisB said...

Hazel, I couldn't remember all their names. You are right it was a very pleasant day that we all enjoyed.

 

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