Well, this is as good as it gets, we have
found a little piece of paradise here on Earth situated on the beautiful
Cornish/Devon border.
It
was in 2003 we decided
that we had had enough of the 'rat race', the noise, the pollution, the
traffic jams and just the very stressful daily life. We felt
completely in a rut. Like most, we watched all those television programs about people moving
to the countryside changing their way of life or moving abroad. We
used to think 'wow how lucky and brave these people were' but we never thought seriously about doing it
ourselves until we both faced life changing experiences. This made
us look at our lives and where our priorities really lay. It was
an easy decision to make and at the same time we came across Alpacas, it
was meant to be and we soon found our smallholding at 'Thistledown'. Our only
regret to changing our lifestyle, moving to the countryside and farming
Alpacas is that
we did not do it sooner.
We
fell in love with 'Thistledown' which is on the border of Devon and
Cornwall. It has 4.5 acres and the views are simply breathtaking, we
moved in on the 1 October 2003. If
anyone is thinking of changing their lifestyle, moving to the
countryside working a smallholding and your not quite sure what to do,
please come
and visit us, your more than welcome, it may change your life
forever. Sometimes we all need a little nudge, but dreams are
worth chasing!
Alpacas
are the answer, you can farm them on a small acreage. Looking after them
is relatively easy, even for beginners and the end product is their fibre.
They are the most charming, gentle and inquisitive little critters you would
ever want to meet. Being around them every day truly is a gift.
Our herd have certainly graced both our lives.
Alpacas
are not killed for their meat so they are ideal for vegetarians. They
are bred solely for their magnificent fibre. Alpacas
are a gift to be shared.
Every
Alpaca contact we have made throughout the UK and the rest of the World,
especially Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA have all been extremely
enthusiastic and helpful. Our intention is to share all this
knowledge we have gained and to help build up the Alpaca business to
become the standard of quality it once was some 500 years ago in South
America.
"If
we don't know the answer to any questions we will find out, we are here to
help".