HighGround speaks with Rob Honan, a former Worcestershire & Sherwood Foresters officer who now runs the 4 000‑acre Ascott Estate in Buckinghamshire. Rob describes his journey from the Army into estate management, explaining that many estates encompass a mix of arable and livestock farming, residential and commercial properties, sporting ventures and tourismedenprivatestaff.com.

Estate managers are responsible for planning and overseeing these activities; they direct staff, oversee agriculture, manage maintenance and budgets, liaise with government agencies (DEFRA and the Rural Payments Agency) and work with specialists such as agronomists and vetsedenprivatestaff.com.

The role is hands‑on, requiring flexibility, problem‑solving and often living on siteedenprivatestaff.com. Rob explains that there is no “normal day” and notes parallels with military leadership—the ability to adapt when “no plan survives contact” is critical. They discuss career routes, highlighting that while many estate managers hold formal qualifications in land management or farmingedenprivatestaff.com, experience and transferrable skills from the forces can be just as valuable.

Salaries vary widely: Scottish estate managers start around £20 k and experienced managers on large estates can earn £50 k or moreplanitplus.net. Rob urges service‑leavers to network, seek work‑experience on estates and consider the broad range of rural roles, from maintenance and heritage gardening to forestry and property management.

00:00 Introduction: Tom & Jamie explain how the podcast series offers an “evergreen” library of land‑based career insights.

02:05 Meet Rob Honan: Former infantry officer explains his move from the Army into estate management and the importance of using your network.

04:43 What is an estate? Rob outlines Ascott’s 4 000 acres of arable fields, residential properties, gardens, tourism (Ascott House & gardens attract ~50 000 visitors per year) and community relations.

06:36 Transferable skills: Adaptability, problem‑solving and people management learnt in the military are invaluable for managing diverse estate operations.

09:08 Roles & activities on an estate: Estates may include property portfolios, commercial shoots, farming, woodland, heritage gardens and tenanted farmsedenprivatestaff.com. Estate managers oversee maintenance, agriculture, budgets, events, external bodies and specialist advisors