Heathylee House Farm
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Heathylee House Farm

A Peak District hill farm breeding guanaco and Mediterranean miniature donkeys.

Shop guanaco fibre
Meet the herd

A working farm with a rare twist

Nestled in the scenic heart of the Peak District, Heathylee House Farm is a working hill farm. Alongside our traditional livestock we breed and care for a herd of more than 60 South American guanaco and a delightful drove of Mediterranean miniature donkeys, combining heritage farming with a love for extraordinary animals.

Our guanaco are elegant and regal, and produce a naturally luxurious fibre that’s among the softest in the world, harvested through careful, ethical farming. Our miniature donkeys win hearts with their gentle nature and inquisitive, cheeky personalities.

Herd of guanaco standing together in a green field at Heathylee House Farm, producers of luxury guanaco fibre in the Peak District
guanaco and chulengos in the herd
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years of careful breeding
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acres of Peak District hill farm
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feet above sea level
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Farmer feeding the guanaco herd from a bucket on the hillside at Heathylee House Farm

Guanaco

Possibly the largest herd outside South America

Our guanaco have taken to farmed life in the Peak District really well. We have a herd of more than 60 guanaco and chulengos on the farm, producing a rare luxury natural fibre that rivals vicuña in its buttery softness.

Learn about guanaco

Miniature donkeys

Cheeky, playful and guaranteed to make you smile

Mediterranean miniature donkeys are a favourite on the farm. We still get really excited when a baby donkey is due to arrive. Originating from Sicily and Sardinia, these adorable animals have grown in popularity in the UK in recent years, and it’s easy to see why.

Meet the mini donks
Fluffy Mediterranean miniature donkey foal standing in a field at Heathylee House Farm

Softer than cashmere, rivalling vicuña

Guanaco fibre measures just 12–18 microns. Our herd is sheared every two years, the fibre is dehaired here in the UK, and every gram can be traced back to animals born and bred on this farm.

Visit the fibre shop
About the fibre
Heathylee gift box tied with ribbon, with balls of guanaco yarn and fibre on hessian

Hypoallergenic

Lanolin-free and gentle on sensitive skin.

Fully traceable

From our herd in the Peak District to your wheel.

Very limited supply

Shorn only every other year, in small quantities.

Life at Heathylee House Farm

A glimpse of our guanaco herd and Mediterranean miniature donkeys out on the hillside pastures of the Peak District.

Herd of guanaco walking across a green hillside pasture at Heathylee House Farm in the Peak District, with dry stone walls and rolling hills behind
Guanaco herd in the Peak District
Dark brown Mediterranean miniature donkey foal standing beside its grazing grey and white mother at Heathylee House Farm
Miniature donkey foal and mother
Close-up of a curious guanaco looking into the camera, with the rest of the herd grazing on moorland grass in the Staffordshire Moorlands, Peak District
Curious guanaco close-up
Newborn guanaco chulengo with a fluffy coat standing next to its mother in a green field at Heathylee House Farm
Guanaco chulengo and mother
Runners on the 260 metre zip wire at Bog Commander, the Peak District mud run and obstacle race

Bog Commander

Our annual mud run and obstacle course race

Mud, obstacles, water and hills: a 6km challenge across our working farm, now with a 260 metre zip wire across the valley.

Find out more