It’s a beautiful day and, as we stroll down a picturesque country lane in beautiful, open countryside, my companion, Ted, turns and stares into my face with his huge, moist, dark brown eyes. It is a look that would melt the hardest of hearts and I can’t resist stroking his soft, elegant neck.

I should point out that Ted is a llama, a large furry creature that looks like a cross between a camel, a large goat, a small giraffe and a four-legged kangaroo. Not the most promising of mixtures, true. And, given that I am not very good with animals, I was slightly nervous.

I have come to experience an unusual, South American-style llama trek, the only one of its kind in North Yorkshire. The business was set up by farmer’s wife Suzanne Benson and her husband James as a sideline less than six months ago.

But demand has been so great, with people travelling from as far as Northumberland, Leeds, York and Middlesbrough to join their treks, that they have already had to take on staff and invest in more llamas.

After just 20 minutes with Ted, I can see why llama trekking is so popular. These boys have got big personalities, they are gentle and responsive and quickly develop an emotional attachment to their handler.

Added to this, they happily carry tea and other refreshments in traditional South American trekking bags, enabling us to enjoy relaxing stops in spectacular locations along the way.

When she first started to take an interest in llamas, many of Suzanne’s down-to-earth, practical farming neighbours did tell her they thought she was mad. Most assumed she must be breeding them for meat. And when she revealed that she was going into the llama trekking business, those more used to tending horses, cows and sheep were even more perturbed.

“Why would you want to do that?” they asked, when she explained that you couldn’t actually ride llamas, but just walk alongside them through the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside around her farm near Pateley Bridge: “People thought I was mad, they would ask ‘What is the point?’,” she says.

Thankfully, hundreds of llama lovers thought differently. Suzanne has surprised everyone with the success of her llama trekking business and all her friends and neighbours have warmed to the exotic, South American creatures which are now regularly seen walking the highways and byways of Nidderdale.

The couple now have nine llamas and, as well as taking on a member of staff, Suzanne has had to give up her full-time job as a housing manager to cope with the unexpected workload.

Suzanne, 38, hadn’t intended to run treks when she bought her first llama, Larry, in 2002 at a livestock sale. She was attracted to him because he looked so unusual and dejected and brought him home to join their goats, sheep and cows. “We like to be a bit different. It was something else to learn about,” she says. “They are a fantastic species, so gentle and regal and very soft to touch. They can also be quite comical,” she says.

It wasn’t until about two years ago that she and James decided they needed to diversify and investigated the possibility of setting up a llama trekking business. The couple, who married 19 years ago, are no strangers to hard work. They spent their first seven years of married life living in a static caravan on his parents’ farm. “We had our first baby there and we worked like mad, we kept sheep and did a milk run and paper round as well as holding down full-time jobs outside the farm for the council and Inland Revenue. We used to get up to deliver milk, with the baby, at 2am and would get back for 8am and get ready to set off for work. It was hard graft but we are from that sort of background, we are keen to work.”

By 2002, they had scraped together enough to buy their own small farm with 40 acres. “Our dream was to have our own smallholding, but we never thought it was realistic. Once we knew this would work, we started to build it,” says Suzanne. They were able to set up their new business thanks to a development grant, which helped pay start-up costs. Although they have 170 sheep and 45 beef cattle, the llama trekking is fast becoming the biggest part of the business.

Having visited trekking centres in other parts of the country, they had a few trial runs with friends and family. “We set up three different routes and got them out. There was a lot of interest, it got people talking about them,” she says.

Since opening to the public in April, they haven't looked back. “It just seemed to take off by word of mouth,” says Suzanne. “Every time we take them trekking to places like nearby beauty spots like Brimham Rocks, which is run by the National Trust, people crowd round us. You would think they were film stars. Everyone wants to talk about them and look at them. People just love them.”

Her youngest boys, Ben, 11, and Callum, six, now help with the llamas, while the eldest, William, 18, works with his father on the farm. “People did think I was mad at first but I have never regretted it. It really is a dream come true,” says Suzanne.

She has had trekkers of all ages, from youngsters to an 80-year-old woman who went out for her birthday recently. “We’ve had all sorts of people – some have tried bungee jumping and parachute humping and wanted something different. We have had people with disabilities, in wheelchairs or who are blind. People have travelled from Northumberland, Middlesbrough, York and Leeds. It is mainly people who enjoy the countryside, who like walking and animals.

“The summer was really busy and we're doing birthday parties and youth club groups now as well, we’re hoping to do more with schools. We live in a beautiful area and I want people to be able to get out and about in fantastic countryside as well as spending time getting to know llamas. They are very different to any other farm or domestic animal. You cannot believe what a strong bond people form with them. They are so friendly, gentle and versatile.”

A strong pecking order exists within a herd of llamas, which communicate by emitting a low, rather soothing humming noise. “It took me a while to learn their language and how best to handle them. Because they have such different personalities, I am developing the skill of matching the right llama to the right person.”

All Suzanne’s trekking llamas, which are used to high altitude and a cold climate, are male, as the females are too feisty and flirtatious for trekking, she says. As well as the trekking, she is producing llama wool and plans to spin some on her spinning wheel when she gets the chance. She also sells llama manure, which doesn’t have to be composted, is high in nitrogen and doesn’t burn like other manures. “It doesn’t smell either,” she says.

“Llamas have so many uses,” says Suzanne, whose stud male George is used to guard their lambs from foxes and stray dogs. “Llamas have been trained to guard other livestock from predators for centuries,” she says.

Now even the most traditional of Yorkshire farmers are coming round to these exotic creatures: “When I bring the llamas to shows, I am being approached, more and more, by farmers who want llamas to guard their flocks.”

Fact File

  • Nidderdale Llamas, Kiln Farm, Wilsill, Pateley Bridge. Tel: 01423-711052.
  • infor@nidderdalellamas.org, nidderdalellamas.org
  • Prices from £10 per adult/£6 child, including refreshments for a short walk to £180 per couple for a full-day trek including picnic.