Travel journalism

Just as travel photography is my main area of interest as a professional photographer, travel journalism is my main professional interest as a writer. Over the years I’ve been lucky to have had opportunities to write about incredible destinations in the UK and overseas, including the Lake District, Nepal, Spain and Japan. My experience as a news journalist and features writer means I can conduct ad hoc or planned interviews in the field, and as a working photographer I can almost always file portraits, street photography, landscapes and/or wildlife photography with my copy. For me, travel journalism is an especially pure form of journalism, as it brings in news, opinion, culture and interviews – and opportunities to give readers a glimpse of life on the trail or in a distant megacity.

Most of my work concentrates on hiking and adventure travel, and any travel that is open, accessible and friendly to the LGBT+ community. Here is a sample of work for publications including The Great Outdoors, Adventure.com, Pride Life, Trail and Let’s Explore:

• Trail, June 2023: I wrote a personal reflection about my experiences on the Cape Wrath Trail, along with a review of the rucksack I carried on the hike.
• The Great Outdoors, May 2023: I reviewed Gail Simmons’ book Between The Chalk And The Sea for TGO.
• Great Walks (Australia), March 2023: Australia’s top hiking magazine has my take on what makes the Cape Wrath Trail one of the greatest hikes in the world, along with a review of the kit needed to take the challenge on.
• The Great Outdoors, March 2023: I have a trail guide to the Cape Wrath Trail in this month’s issue of TGO.
• The Great Outdoors, February 2023: I took a long walk through Lake District history for this feature on Wasdale and its surroundings.
• The Great Outdoors, January 2023: I reviewed Raynor Winn’s new book Landlines for TGO.
• Bird Watching, November 2022: Another South Downs Way feature, this time looking at the trail’s wildlife.
• The Great Outdoors, November 2022: I took my dog on a walk through the Cotswolds to Laurie Lee’s favourite pub in Slad.
• The Great Outdoors, October 2022: A long hike along the South Downs Way has me thinking about history and nature.
• The Great Outdoors, January 2022: On a much-loved bothy in the Lake District, and what calls me back to the hills.
• Adventure.com, June 2021: On the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the way I enjoy hiking and nature.
• Trail, September 2019: On risk-taking in mountaineering, following my Cape Wrath Trail accident.
• Pride Life, Winter 2018: LGBT+ friendly travel in Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, Naoshima and Kamikochi.
• Let’s Explore, Issue 2: A storm-blown and lonely trek along England’s Pennine Way.
• Pride Life, Spring 2015: Boozy travels around Spain’s Rioja winemaking region.
• Pride Life, Winter 2014: An adventure in Nepal’s high Himalayas, along the Annapurna Circuit.

My travel journalism also features here on my blog, including pieces on Japan’s Sumo championships, Scotland’s toughest hike, essays on travel photography, and travels in the Lake District. I’m always in search of my next adventure, and aim to focus more on hiking and adventure journalism in the coming years. I look forward to seeing what I get to write in my travel journal as I look out for the next story…