SWAP your dog for a llama on April 7 and join a Sampford Courtenay couple who have made llama-trekking a fashionable pastime.
Llamas from all over the country will be at Castle Drogo for a charity trek across Dartmoor in aid of Leukaemia Research and the National Trust.
Among the pack will be Lennie and Domingo, who with their owners John and Jenny Rogers have been leading the way in llama-trekking in Devon.
The couple, who are now semi-retired after running a cattery in Norfolk, are smitten with the animals they first encountered at a country fair.
'I found them absolutely enchanting, said Mrs Rogers. 'They make a gentle, humming noise and have a wonderful calming influence on people.'
Last year, the couple organised a llama-trek across Woollacombe Sands in North Devon and raised £2,500 for the Children's Hospice South West.
'We get quite a following — llamas are pack animals so we do not ride them but they are very easy to lead,' added Mrs Rogers.
'Through the money we have raised, a sensory garden has been created for the children who attend the hospice and we plan to take the llamas there so the children can enjoy them.'
The Rogers have no intention of breeding llamas — they have four geldings kept for pure pleasure.
'We have had a wonderful time with the animals and want other people to get pleasure from them,' said Mrs Rogers. 'Their calmness seems to rub off on people — in America they even hold llama clinics for people who are stressed out.'
For more details about the llama charity trek on Dartmoor contact the couple on 01837 82747.