I stare into his eyes, an astonishing, limpid blue. I stroke his short curls, whisper into his ear. He turns to look at me and my heart briefly quickens as I wonder: will he spit in my face?

This is not a disappointing romance. I am strolling in a woodland with Blue, a beautiful but somewhat frisky alpaca. Burnt Fen Alpacas is a farm in the Norfolk Broads run by Ann and Jamie Nickerson. The couple moved from London ten years ago after Jamie was made redundant from his job in the City, but they knew nothing about farming, “so it really was a leap into the void”, she says. When Jamie saw an article about alpacas in a newspaper, “we went to see them, fell in love and walked away with three pregnant alpacas”.

Today, it’s hard to imagine anything more idyllic. As we walk between the enclosures, the alpacas wander up to the fence to greet us. Only the males are walked because the females, which are kept in a separate section, are usually pregnant or nursing their young, such as tiny week-old Bella.

“They’re herd animals,” Ann explains as she hands me a wand (a stick with a slim rope attached) and shows me how to lasso Blue by flinging a loop of rope around his neck. “They have no defences. Their main defence is to run away, and they can run very, very fast. But they’re quite docile — once they’re caught they give in.”

Blue and I size each other up as Ann attaches a halter and hands me the rope. They are, let us be clear, ridiculous animals — the original pushmi-pullyus. Alpacas are members of the camelid family but, with their long necks, snooty faces and woolly legs, seem to be made from leftover bits of other animals. Ann advises me to avoid Blue’s rear (not something I need telling twice). An alpaca later backs into me by accident and gives me a kick, but it’s more surprising than painful.

We begin our leisurely amble. Walks are done in small groups of no more than six; today we are with Ann’s daughters, Daisy, 13, and Flo, 11, and their cousin Ella, 11, but she has taken younger and older groups. There are many studies suggesting that animal company is beneficial (one article reports on a borderline psychotic who carries a parrot to soothe him when he gets agitated) and, while alpacas are perhaps too unwieldy for everyday use, they undoubtedly have a restful effect. The Nickersons say that children with special needs respond particularly well to them.

We stroll through sun-dappled woodland, where the alpacas eat everything they can reach with their long, expressive necks. I keep Blue in line by giving his rope a tug when he becomes twitchy, though there is mild drama when he is spooked by Daisy getting the hiccups, while Flo is dragged off the path as her small but energetic charge, Archie, spies some juicy leaves. But we pootle along happily enough for an hour and I am sad when our route leads us past Horace (the elder statesman of the herd — Blue pokes his neck over the fence in a yah-boo-sucks way) and back to the enclosure.

There is an unexpected delight, though. Once we have nudged the boys home, Ann lets the girls out while we have tea at a picnic table. The alpacas come over to snaffle our proffered handfuls of chopped vegetables. Ann shows me the wool they produce — the box marked “Horace” is full of gloriously soft, dark grey wool that would really suit my mother — and I see mittens and jumpers that are actually nice, rather than the lumpy and rustic articles I had feared. I vow to bring my sister, who is a knitter. Maybe she’ll make me a scarf in return for such a delightful day out.

Burnt Fen Alpacas, Horning, Norfolk NR12 8LA. Walks £50 per group (book 01692 630553, burntfen.co.uk )

Animal magic

Take a camel trek in Helston, Cornwall, with cornishcamels.com

Meet ring-tailed and red ruffed lemurs in a walk at Bristol Zoo Gardens (bristolzoo.org.uk).

See a rhino, a baboon and a red-eared terrapin at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Cumbria (wildanimalpark.co.uk)

Stroke and bottle-feed lambs and goats at Pennywell Farm, Devon (pennywellfarm.co.uk)

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