To mark 130 years as rural surveyors, two teams from Davidson & Robertson journeyed 130 miles across Scotland and Northern England. It was a chance to reconnect with colleagues and an opportunity for the many new faces to meet the rest of the team.
The northern and southern teams each chose their own routes:
Bo’ness – South Queensferry route:
Setting off at 9.15 am from Bo’ness, the northern D&R team of fourteen and three dogs took in the views and chatted along the route which took us through the Hopetoun Estate – a long-standing client looked after by the D&R Property management team.
D&R Associate Director Alison Forrester Smith who is mainly based on the estate in her role as Property Manager took part in the walk, she said “Hopetoun is a welcoming and thriving 6,500-acre community with a variety of interests including property to let, hospitality, outdoor activities as well as a thriving farming enterprise. It was a lovely opportunity to introduce Hopetoun to our wider team, seeing the estate first-hand and enjoying the chance to catch up with colleagues in person rather than over a ‘Teams’ meeting.”
Stopping for a picnic the team walked the 10.5-mile route, finishing after lunch just as the weather deteriorated.
Derwentwater wander:
The southern team chose to take the scenic ten-mile walk around Derwentwater. Again, a team of fourteen plus a Labrador and a spaniel, set off from the Theatre By the Lake car park, following the water’s edge, calling in at the Lodore Falls Hotel for an early lunch, then walking the route below Catbells, past Derwentwater Marina and back into Keswick.
Chris Edmunds, D&R Director based at the Cockermouth office said “It was great to see some of our colleagues from Scotland enjoying our Lake District scenery – which even on a poor weather day is still stunning. We know the Keswick area well, having supported numerous clients businesses in the local area including those affected by the West Cumbria Pipeline Project which travelled 100km from Thirlmere, and grant-funded farm reviews. Everyone really enjoyed being able to get out and about.
D&R’s newest recruits were also with us: Based at the Cockermouth office, Assistant Land Agent Abigail Wass and Paul Robinson were able to spend quality time chatting to our wider team which is especially important when there have been so few face to face opportunities for new staff to meet up.”