Glamping and alpacas

Roddy Hamilton and his wife Jane run a luxury glamping site, with alpaca walking experiences, at The Private Hill in Yorkshire. Roddy tells Alpaca editor Liz Mason why, after looking at different farming options he chose glamping and alpacas.

Could you tell us something about your background and what you did before becoming a farmer?

I’ve actually had farming in my blood ever since I was born! I grew up on a farm, and have farmed whenever I possibly could throughout my life, so while I’m always willing to learn new farming skills it’s an area I’m fairly comfortable with. Apart from that I count myself as extremely lucky to have had an exciting career with several global blue chip multinational businesses as well as one or two rather unique ‘jobs’ working alongside some rather special individuals around the world.

Why did you want to buy a farm and why did you choose Thrussendale Farm?

I farmed before I came back to North Yorkshire, principally commercial sheep and pedigree Dexter cattle, but when the opportunity arose to acquire Thrussendale Farm I jumped at the chance to farm a mere 20 miles from where I was born. The incredible beauty of the place struck me instantly along with the peace, views, facilities and of course the chance to be back in Yorkshire.

Why did you decide to diversify and introduce glamping?

As any small farmer knows (and some larger farms too!) it’s hard to make a viable living from a small parcel of land. In order to achieve the same levels of revenue that we do from our luxury, boutique, glamping operation I would need to breed, and finish, approximately 1200 lambs a year, or breed around 150 commercial cattle selling these as yearlings each year. Or of course a combination of the two – not possible on a mere 65 acre holding.

We’d looked at renewables and won a five year contract with BQP pigs who finish high welfare pork for Waitrose to keep around 4000 head on the farm at any one time. That was a good commercial opportunity but didn’t sit well with the beautiful part of Yorkshire we are lucky to live in. Instead I chose tourism which actually enhances the area greatly.

What makes The Private Hill a special experience for guests?

With so many, varied and fabulous, places to stay in the United Kingdom we were entering a sector that was already rich with choice for guests. The Private Hill therefore had to be a little different – different in the way we did things, different in our approach, and unique in the personal levels of service we wanted to offer. Our location helps a lot but it is the truly fabulous team of local people that work within the business that really make the difference and set us apart. Luxury facilities help too of course!

Do you take the guests out with the alpacas or do you employ someone to walk with them?

I couldn’t possibly do half as good a job as our young guides so I let them get on with it. I do however try and meet all of our guests whenever I can and time allows.

Why choose geodesic domes over bell tents, pods or shepherd’s huts?

The place on the farm where we wanted to launch our luxury glamping business is an exposed hillside. I guess you cannot have the spectacular views without some level of exposure to the elements but winds of more than 70-80 mph are not uncommon in our part of the world when storms arrive. Geodesic domes gave us the best option to work with the wind and, I hope, have minimised our ‘risk’ of storm damage. They give a sense of space too which guests seem to love and, coupled with fully ensuite facilities, a birds’ eye view of the world beyond.

Were there any difficulties gaining planning permission?

Planning itself was actually pretty straightforward. Inevitably we were asked for masses of information, a number of reports, including a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA), and quite a lot of other things. I took the view that we needed to provide our local planning department with whatever they needed, without argument, to enable them to determine our application fully. It’s always wise to do what’s asked of you and leave as little as possible to misinterpretation.

When and why did you decide to add alpacas to the farm? And how did you go about buying them?

Having lived, and worked, in Latin America for a number of years I of course already knew what an alpaca was! But it was a lovely couple staying at The Private Hill that persuaded me to invest in our initial ‘team’ Renoir, Perseus, and Ziggy. Since then we haven’t looked back with guests longing to meet and walk these wonderful members of the farm family. It was a local farmer that gave me the contacts for Snowshill Alpacas and Roger Mount couldn’t have been more helpful. The rest is, largely, history!

Would you recommend alpacas to other owners looking to diversify?

Yes – 100%. But you need to have the appropriate facilities, time, and passion. Without those things it’s probably best avoided.

Do you manage the site for wildlife or have any special conservation areas?

I’ve always had a keen interest in nature and wildlife. Not, in any sense, an academic level of knowledge on the subject but simply someone who was brought up to respect the wildlife around us and to, where possible, do even little things to help all species thrive. In fact it was our need to carry out an ecological assessment of the area (as a part of our planning requirement) when we wanted to establish The Private Hill, that really increased my interest. Since then we’ve voluntarily carried out a full farm ecological assessment and have created exciting new habitats for flora and fauna. Curlew have returned to the farm, our brown hare population is thriving, grey partridges have successfully bred on the farm and we’ve got some of the local ecologists excited by our wide variety of wild flowers around the place. So yes – this is something we do take very seriously indeed and it is managed carefully. At the end of last year I was personally thrilled when we were recognised by Natural England who supported our application to the higher tier level of Country Stewardship. The farm now has a real chance to become somewhere even more special and to really make an impact on the wildlife we are fortunate enough to be responsible for.

Do you plan to add any more alpacas in future?

I think a team of three suits us well and that if we increased numbers we’d quite possibly lose the personal touch with which we have established our small space in the alpaca walking world.

What do you think the alpacas have brought to the glamping experience and how have your guests, and other farmers, reacted to them?

Having our three boys on the farm has certainly drawn the attention of local farmers and visitors to the area. Most locals probably thought I was nuts but they have added such a wonderful, energising, dimension to the farm business and innumerable smiling faces from those that come into contact with them.

As a spin-off from purchasing the boys it’s enabled us to offer a rather fun job to several local young students who have trained as guides and who, interestingly, have become superb ambassadors not only for the farm business but the local area too. We are so lucky to have such a fantastic team of alpaca walking experience guides. They really do make the whole experience incredibly cathartic for our guests.

Do you think owners need to have experience in hospitality before opening a glamping site and what advice would you give to landowners thinking of setting up their own site?

Absolutely – if you don’t understand the hospitality business from start to finish then you could potentially lose a very great deal of money. We receive many, many, enquiries from people looking to become involved in the glamping business and I always advise them to come and stay here, to talk to me at length, and to then make their minds up. It’s certainly not for the faint hearted but one way or another I’ve been involved in the hospitality sector for much of my adult life and wouldn’t want to do anything else -apart from farm, of course, and look after the wonderful (animal) characters we are lucky enough to have on the farm.

It’s certainly a way of life, and not even remotely considered a job, but probably one of the most rewarding moments of my long and fun life.