Moonacre Alpacas

Mi è piaciuto: Location is beautiful. 'Middle of nowhere' but easy to find. Bell tent at the bottom of the field, close to the trees and hedge boundary, lots of shade if necessary. Close to the pond. Within sight of alpacas. Very tranquil and away from it all. Went in August when it's at its best, although it was in the heatwave and once the sun was beaming in all its might, the bell tent couldn't be used until around 8.30 pm. But it has been exceptionally hot. Lovely to be near the alpacas, although again, I'm guessing because of the extreme heat, only saw 5 of them and no babies. Only 2 bell tents on site, although i was the only one staying during my trip. Shepherds hut no where in sight, so very private. Relaxing to hear all the birds and country animal life. Very rural, rustic peaceful, a place to disconnect from your normal routines and connect to nature again, and hear yourself think. I did dome reading, painting and walking. Saw buzzard, rabbits, dragon flies, and down the road saw a deer. Plenty of cow and sheep sounds. Dewy misty mornings, hushed evenings. I personally like a compost toilet so that was no problem for me although using hay instead of sawdust was new to me. I'm not sure it soaks up the smell quite as well. Very small (and I'm small) so not sure how a big person would fit! I've never had a shower in a horse box before, so that was a novelty. It's basic but does the job. Big crack in the shower floor and you have to bend to get in and out, and if you're looking for 'spotless' don't come here. For me the temperature was fine, don't know how it would be during the colder months. The bed was 2 single mattresses on the floor, not very comfy but I guess if you brought an extra duvet to sleep on it would be fine. But to be honest you hardly notice as the experience fills up your senses, it's a special place. If you don't like sleeping with creepy crawlies don't come here. Outside kitchen basic but does the job. It's camping right? Not sure I had all the equipment, tin opener, sharp knife but I didn't need them. I'm positive if I did I would only need to ask. Although in sight way up the field, in the corner, you don't feel you're completely overlooked by the main dwelling. It's a working , off-grid farm so the owners are busy all day. Alison and Phil are great. Very busy but always willing to answer questions and be helpful. My phone quickly died, and signal is in and out, so if messaging the owners there'll probably be a delay in the reply, but I think Alison is usually available in the cabin. Had a lovely chat with Alison, and it's obvious the tremendous amount of work cost, hardship, endurance and love has gone into creating this special place. It was a pleasure being able to share their space with them. I was able to feed an alpaca from my hand, under Phil's guidance although they're not 'pet' alpacas. Obviously not used to a lot of human interaction, but a lovely good natured livestock full of personality and interest.

Non mi è piaciuto: The sound from the distant road carried across the fields.

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