In our first In Conversation With of 2026, we chat with Property Manager Katie Moore about her favourite places to explore (we’re particularly impressed by the year-round sea dips!), some of her favourite local businesses – ones to bookmark if you haven’t visited already – and what her dream home might look like.

Firstly, can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

I’m a Property Manager at Paton & Co, having started my career in the admin team. This gave me a solid grounding and a real insight into how the business runs day to day. I now look after properties from the point of instruction all the way through to them going under offer.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I’m a huge people person, and I’ve loved property for as long as I can remember, which means my job genuinely doesn’t feel like work. Since joining the team in early 2024, I’ve felt incredibly lucky to experience so many beautiful homes and to build strong relationships with both the team and our lovely clients.

What’s your favourite place to escape to or explore?

This is such a tough question! I love long beach walks with my scruffy little dog, Winnie, and cold-water dips all year round, although Winnie prefers to wait patiently on the shore. I also love living so close to Kelso. It’s such a special town – always buzzing with activity and full of brilliant independent businesses.

We also enjoy weekend trips to North Yorkshire, where we have lots of family and friends. It’s the perfect distance for a long weekend, and we love exploring the villages and trying out the local pubs and cosy cafés.

Can you tell us some of your favourite local businesses?

For a treat, I love having a browse in Humes Outfitters  in Kelso; I always seem to find something to add to my birthday or Christmas wish list. I also love Kitty & Gus, which is perfect for everything from little gifts to clothing, fabrics and interiors. Junk & Disorderly in Berwick is another favourite; the girls are lovely, and they stock beautiful antiques, interiors and gifts from small independent businesses.

When it comes to food, we love Bamburgh Walled Garden  for lunch, and The Cheviot Tap  is a real family favourite. Having grown up on the Ford & Etal Estates, it’s a great place to catch up with family friends. I’m also a big fan of Brew in St Boswells . The coffee is amazing, and it’s the perfect spot to get cosy by the log burner after a walk in the Eildons.

What are you enjoying reading, watching, or listening to at the moment?

I love the Ins & Outs podcast with Jojo Barr and Pollyanna Wilkinson. As someone who’s interior and garden obsessed, it’s the perfect mix of informative and hilarious. I’m not a huge reader as I find it hard to sit still for long, but a friend bought me New English Interiors by Elizabeth Metcalfe, which I absolutely loved. It’s a beautiful book featuring conversations with 22 of England’s most exciting creatives, and it now takes pride of place as a coffee-table book.

For TV, I love settling down on a Sunday evening with Call the Midwife or All Creatures Great and Small. They’re such comforting, feel-good watches.

If you were to describe your dream home what would it look like?

Oh, that’s a hard one! I’m completely obsessed with characterful homes. We’re currently renovating our 250-year-old farm cottage, which I love, although all that character does make things a bit more challenging at times. My dream home would probably be a slightly bigger version of the cottage from The Holiday: a pretty Georgian house with a wild, cottage-style garden, a big kitchen made for entertaining, and plenty of quirky, higgledy-piggledy charm.

What are you move looking forward to as we head into the new year?

Hopefully, 2026 will bring some exciting progress with our renovation – we have lots planned. Professionally, I’m really looking forward to meeting more wonderful clients and spending time in even more beautiful homes of all shapes and sizes.