TREKKING AND HOLIDAYS
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!
