Rooster Reboot: Chapter 2

After such a positive experience on our first Rooster Reboot, it didn’t take us long to start planning the next team walk in the series!

Setting off from Shawford

This outing was a little closer to home. We’re incredibly fortunate that our headquarters in Shawford, Winchester, sits right on the edge of some of Hampshire’s most beautiful countryside: the South Downs. So there was really no better place to start our next walking chapter.

Just like last time, we were very lucky with the weather! With the sun shining and our spirits high, we set off to recharge our batteries. Led by Ethan, designer and route-planner extraordinaire, our journey began on the road, crossing the white wrought-iron bridge over the River Itchen. The river winds its way beautifully through the Hampshire landscape, and if you’re lucky, you might spot a heron or two sitting quietly in their natural habitat.

Creativity beyond the screen

We started at a good pace and, after passing through Twyford (the neighbouring village), we soon found ourselves walking beneath the shady woodland. As a digital and creative agency, we spend much of our time in front of screens, so taking time out of the office together to breathe in some fresh air was a welcome rest.

Although we often take shorter lunchtime walks in smaller groups during the week, our Reboots give us something different: an opportunity for the whole team to step away from the organised chaos of day-to-day work, clear our heads and spend time connecting away from the usual rhythm of agency life.

Climbing the South Downs

With conversations flowing, we climbed up onto the South Downs Way, following a track bordered by open fields and sheep grazing around us. Reaching the top, we were rewarded with an amazing view that truly stretched for miles across the landscape. It was one of those bonding moments where everyone paused for a second, remembering exactly why we started the Rooster Reboots in the first place:

Reconnecting with nature, with ourselves and with each other as a team.

Earlier along the route, we’d passed a tweed-clad shooting party. By this time, most of them had long since left, along with their pheasants, but we spotted one of them across the fields and called on him to help us capture this moment with a team photograph, the rolling hills behind us.

After a few more moments soaking in the fresh air, we set off on the next leg of the walk. Heading downhill and with the promise of halfway refreshments ahead, we left the South Downs Way and began making our way towards Winchester, pausing briefly to say hello to a few curious ponies along the path.

A well-earned pub stop

Our destination was one of the city’s oldest pubs, The Black Boy. With its low-beamed ceilings, antique curiosities and a collection of taxidermy lining the walls, it provided exactly the kind of character-filled setting we were hoping for. And, of course, a well-earned drink!

During the walking part of a Reboot, we naturally break off into smaller groups as conversations ebb and flow. But gathering around a table with a cold drink in a pub means we can all come back together and reconnect with our joint experience. These moments are always filled with encouragement, plenty of humour and the kind of conversations that strengthen our team beyond the four walls of an office.

Walking back, recharged

By this point, we were starting to feel hungry. With no food available there, we continued further into town to another pub, where a few members of the group peeled off for school pick-ups, or perhaps to avoid completing the full walk!

A bowl of chips and one more drink later, the rest of us began the journey back to Shawford, looping along the peaceful riverside paths of the Itchen Way.

With the sun beginning to set and our spirits lifted, we reflected on a day well spent. Our second Rooster Reboot was another reminder that creativity doesn’t always happen at a desk; sometimes it starts with a walk, a new conversation and a breath of fresh air.

And with another Reboot behind us, we’re already planning the next adventure and looking forward to seeing where the series takes us next.