Kilnsey Park’s Jamie Roberts has been familiarising himself with the frisky nature of the South American alpaca on the fells near Hawkswick.
He is getting ready to bring his own trio to the estate this spring to commemorate the setting up of the trout farm business 35 years ago.
He chose alpacas because his great-great-grandfather Sir James Roberts took over Salts Mill in Saltaire from the founder, Sir Titus Salt, and continued making yarn from the “woolly” beasts.
Jamie has set himself the challenge of walking from Saltaire to Kilnsey, much of it along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, accompanied by his new charges.
He said: “Sir James ran the mill until 1920 when one of his relatives came to live on the estate, so I think having alpacas here symbolises that link.”
Dressed in late Victorian attire, he reckons it should take a couple of days to complete the journey, sleeping under canvas for one night.
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