At mark-making*, we’re big on connecting with our local community and environment. And on 18th September, our (belated) summer social showed that we don’t just talk the talk; we literally walk the walk. Armed with hiking boots and empty bellies, the mark-makers set off to explore the rolling hills and picture-postcard valleys around our Chipping Norton home.

First stop: FarmED

Ten minutes in a taxi (thanks to a fantastic local firm) and we landed at FarmEd – a pioneering farm and food education centre nestled in Ascott-under-Wychwood, in the stunning Evenlode Valley. This fantastic regenerative demonstration farm champions sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and food-system education.

Handily for us, it also has an absolute cracker of a farm-to-fork café – which got us off to a flyer with the vegetarian Dish of the Day: a courgette-y, bean-y, fennel-y, onion-y, sourdough-y masterpiece.

Anyway, since opening in 2019, FarmEd has welcomed everyone from farmers to farming royalty. It’s even been visited by actual royalty – in the form of the King! Its fundamental aim is to share knowledge about the agroecological techniques that can help feed nearly ten billion people by 2050. And all while protecting our planet’s precious crop diversity.

For mm*, choosing FarmEd wasn’t just about the spectacular views or their commitment to sustainability. As a certified B Corp, we’re naturally drawn to organisations that share our desire to use business for good. And FarmED’s mission aligns perfectly with our own pledge to leave positive impressions to help make the world a better place.

All in all, a pretty apt way to kick off an afternoon out.

A Diddly Trot back to Chippy

Our afternoon out was meticulously planned: taxi, FarmED, lunch, self-guided tour, river walk, pub, bus home. However, for those of you who’ve worked in an agency, you’ll know it can all feel a bit like herding kittens at times (important stuff aside, of course!). With childcare challenges, transport troubles and various other deadlines galore, the plan became a little more ‘fluid’.

But as it happens, this was no bad thing. Trendy Charlbury and a pint at the newly-crowned ‘UK’s best pub’ (The Bull) turned into a walk back to Chipping Norton (‘Chippy’) via a pint at The Tite in Chadlington.

And heading home through Chadlington took us straight through the heart of another Cotswolds hotspot – Diddly Squat Farm, home of Jeremy Clarkson, and home from home of his farm manager, Kaleb (who we regularly see in town). 

Our route literally took us up the drive, past the house and through the farmyard. Despite feeling like we were somewhere we shouldn’t be (we weren’t), the more fanatical of our crew managed to snap a few selfies for posterity. No celebs to be spotted, but some pretty spectacular views nonetheless.

Well-trodden paths and wandering minds

Before, through, and beyond Diddly Squat, our route took in parts of the Wychwood and Oxfordshire Ways, along with other parts of the extensive footpath network that weaves through our countryside.

Amidst the mildly superficial excitement of seeing where Jezza lived, there were parts of the walk where we found ourselves musing at a deeper level. After all, the paths we followed aren’t just walking routes; they’re the threads that bind our communities together; trails that generations before us have traversed. We were literally following in the footsteps of history.

There’s definitely something about walking and talking together that works. The silly. The serious. It’s all pretty cathartic stuff. As a team, we understand that creativity and connection flourish when our minds are free to wander as well as our feet. Away from our screens and meeting rooms, our conversations flow differently.

Bonding over hitting an impossible print deadline is one thing; bonding over the sights and sounds of an ancient woodland is another thing altogether.

We walked. We talked. We thought. We laughed. And then we went back to our ‘normal lives’ feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. Chipping Norton was calling once again.

Until next time…

About five hours from hopping in our taxi, we were back where we started. But in a good way. We’d got exactly what we wanted and needed from our time together – the outcome any good summer social should deliver. There’s something to be said for getting out of the office and having a proper walk together in the great outdoors.

A big thank you to Julia and Mike for organising the afternoon and guiding us along the way.