You see all sorts of wildlife – pheasants, badgers, deer – in the countryside near to my parents’ home in West Sussex, but who knew there were also llamas lurking in the fields?

Ryan and I headed a few miles away to the Llama Park in Ashdown Forest to meet Heather and a variety of unbelievably friendly animals. The Park has more than 50 llamas and 20 alpacas on the 32 acres of parkland bordered by forest. And as an extra treat, it’s also home to Dasher and Blitzen, two gorgeous reindeer.

We got to work introducing ourselves.

Heather (the expert among us) told us that alpacas and llamas are domesticated and don’t live in the wild – and they were appropriately friendly. I was a bit scared of those pokey teeth but when I extended my hand, there was no nibbling at all – unlike you’d expect with a horse.

My favorite was Tom, a beautiful llama with long brown hair and a whispy white brow. I just wanted to put my arms around his fluffy neck. Thankfully we can stay in touch, because he tweets!

Ryan and I had expected the farm to be a bit bigger and a little more snazzy, but there was no denying the warm welcome we got from the animals. And apart from catching up with Heb and meeting Tom, my favorite thing? Well, look at those bums!