About Sidetracked
Sidetracked captures the emotion and experience of adventure throughout the world. We seek out the undiscovered, challenge ourselves, and push back limits. But above all, we create connections – with humanity, history, landscape and culture. We share meaningful stories that represent all life on this planet. Because, by creating an inspired community, together we can forge a trail for positive change.
We’ve always been rooted in inspirational journeys – telling stories online and via our print journals (three times per year of those who put themselves out there, setting aside fear and doubt in order to experience the breathtaking, the awe-inspiring, and the magical.
If you would like to contribute a story, please review our contribution guidelines.
The Sidetracked Team
John Summerton
Creative Director // Founder
John is the founder and creative director of Sidetracked, where he brings together a love of adventure, design, and storytelling to shape one of the world’s leading independent adventure publications. An award-winning graphic designer with a background in typography, and photography, John created Sidetracked to inspire more people to step outside, and explore a little further.
He oversees creative direction across Sidetracked’s print, digital, and film projects, leading the visual identity and editorial approach that have become central to the brand. A passionate advocate for the outdoors and the environment, John is most at home on trails, riding long distances, and seeking out experiences that challenge perspective and deepen our connection to nature.
Instagram: @johnsummerton
Substack: substack.com/@johnsummerton
Alex Roddie
Editor
Alex Roddie is an award-winning outdoor and nature writer, author, photographer, and editorial professional. A reformed alpinist with a background in Scottish winter climbing and Alpine mountaineering, he now loves nothing better than long-distance lightweight backpacking in wild and remote locations. Routes completed in recent years include the Cape Wrath Trail in winter, the Pyrenean Haute Route, and a fastpacking traverse of the Alps. Other passions include analogue photography, running, science fiction, and poetry. His books include The Farthest Shore (Vertebrate Publishing, 2021) and a series of coffee-table books in the Wanderlust series by gestalten. Alex has been on the Sidetracked team since 2015 and has been editor since 2020. He is based near the Cairngorms in Scotland with his wife Hannah.
Substack: alexroddie.substack.com
Daniel Neilson
Head of Partnerships
Daniel Neilson is a journalist, author and editor. In addition to writing for Sidetracked, he is Head of Partnerships, liaising with brands and tourist boards for the magazine. He also works as a producer for Sidetracked Studios.
Most recently, he has contributed words and pictures to publications including The Guardian, National Geographic Traveller and The Economist The World Ahead. He has edited more than 35 guidebooks and is the author of the Travel Writer’s Field Guide.
Instagram: @danieljneilson Email (business enquiries): [email protected]
Jenny Tough
Deputy Editor
Jenny Tough is an enthusiast for all things endurance challenges and adventure travel. Whether it be a race or a solo adventure, her desire to push her limits has led her to numerous corners of the world. She is currently working on a global challenge to run, solo and unsupported, across a mountain range on every continent (5/6 complete). She’s also competed in long-distance bikepacking races, including becoming the first woman to finish both the inaugural Silk Road Mountain Race and Atlas Mountain Race – considered two of the toughest off-road bike races. Outside of her personal pursuits, she is on a mission to get more people outside and challenging their own comfort zones, particularly women and girls, which she has championed by launching a book called Tough Women: Adventure Stories.
W: jennytough.comI: @jennytough
Emily Woodhouse
Sub-editor
Emily Woodhouse is a writer, author and editor with a background in adventure travel and marketing. She is a Mountain Leader (Winter ML aspirant), working predominantly with teenagers accessing outdoor education. A Dartmoor local, pacing into the fog across a featureless bog at midnight is her happy place. She has been in Mountain Rescue since 2015. Happy to proof or edit to anyone’s requirements, she will never side with the Oxford comma in a street fight.
Instagram: @travellinglines Website: travellinglines.comMark Bullock
Social Media Manager
Mark is a Devon based climber and mountaineer, whose dream days are spent soloing easy routes in the big hills, scurrying down at last light for pizza. A big fan of ticklists, he has spent his mountain career working methodically through classic big days out: The Cuillin Ridge (solo, 6:47), The Bob Graham Round, Half Dome, Fiesta de los Biceps, 14 Alpine 4000ers, et al. Mark has climbed all over the world from Verdon to Yosemite and Riglos to Lofoten.
He is a qualified Mountain Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor with an Exercise Physiology degree and PGCE in Outdoor Education, who now works as a part time writer and occasional photographer (winning several awards) and specialising full time in social media management.
Instagram: @mark_bullockSubstack: bullockm.substack.com
Martin Hartley
Director of Photography
One of the world’s leading expedition and adventure travel photographers, Martin Hartley specialises in documenting the most inaccessible places on earth. He has documented many unique polar assignments and is one of the only professional photographers to have crossed the Arctic Ocean on foot and with dogs. His work has been published worldwide in international press and and photographic, travel and adventure magazines, and he has the rare distinction of commissions for National Geographic publications under his belt – in addition to Sidetracked of course.
Website: www.martinhartley.com Instagram: @martinrhartleyPLEASE NOTE
The content for this site is produced, compiled and edited by Sidetracked under agreement with the contributors. The copyright for Sidetracked Magazine is with Sidetracked Ltd.
We work extremely hard alongside our contributors to bring you the very best stories from across the world of adventure travel. Hence we politely wish to ask other websites and publications to refrain from cloning our content without prior expressed permission from Sidetracked. The featuring of Sidetracked-edited content is strictly forbidden, and we ask that all work first appearing on the Sidetracked website be credited as such with a link to the original story.