2025 Festival Programme
Adventure Awaits
We’re pleased to reveal the programme in more detail below, with timings and details to follow as we finalise our lineup and add more session leaders and guest speakers to the roster.
Your festival pass includes entry to all masterclasses, a wide range of adventure activities (on and off site) and a fantastic lineup of entertainment planned for the evenings. Take a look below to see what we have planned.
And in addition to these sessions, there’ll be a library & shop, chill zones, food trucks and a great bar service, and good vibes throughout this incredible location. If you want to explore further afield visit our concierge service to provide you with routes and facts for running, biking, hiking, and local history in the area.
Saturday and Sunday timetable
Active Sessions
Gravel Biking
Choose your ride! Join one of two separate sessions led by Scotland-based long-distance legends – either ride with Markus Stitz or with Vedangi Kulkarni for a two-hour gravel adventure on nearby trails. Meet new riding buddies and enjoy inspiring stories from each round-the-world adventurer.
Note: This is a BYO bike session. Please bring your own bike, helmet, and equipment.
Saturday 11am: Vedangi Kulkarni
Sunday 11am: Markus Stitz
Climbing
Come climbing with us on the crags overlooking the festival. The sessions are split into two different group levels, the easy session offering introduction and guidance for beginners, whilst an intermediate session is the perfect opportunity to test your skills. Sidetracked team climbers Adam Raja and Waldo Etherington.
Saturday 9am: Beginners with Adam Raja
Saturday 1pm: Intermediates with Waldo Etherington
Sunday 9am: Intermediates with Waldo Etherington
Sunday 1pm: Beginners with Adam Raja
Hiking
This year, we’re offering a variety of hikes—all departing from and returning to the festival site—that explore local forests and trails bordering the Munros. Ted Simpson will lead select hikes, sharing captivating stories from his journey documenting ‘The Last Scots Pine.’ On Sunday afternoon, Louis Dalton Hall and his horse Sasha will guide a hike, recounting their trans-European adventure along the way. We’re also planning nature watch hikes for those eager to explore the local wildlife.
Saturday 9am: Ted Simpson - The Last Scots Pine Walk
Saturday 1pm: Nature Hike
Sunday 9am: Ted Simpson - The Last Scots Pine Walk
Sunday 1pm: Louis Dalton Hall & Sasha the horse Walk
Trail Running
Energising, fun, social, and perhaps a little muddy. These trail runs are at a ‘no drop’ pace for maximum enjoyment. We have sessions from Renee McGregor, leading sports dietician, ultra runner, and Black Trail Runners ambassador who will be leading a run-and-chat style run. Our other sessions are led by Jenny Tough, fastpacking adventurer and Sidetracked team member, for un-serious trail fun.
Saturday 9:30am: Jenny Tough
Saturday 1:30pm: Renee McGregor
Sunday 9:30am: Jenny Tough
Sunday 1:30pm: Renee McGregor
Loch Swimming
Gilly McArthur (open water swim coach and lifeguard) describes her swim style as ‘non-competitive, inquisitive, and adventurous.’ A devoted advocate of cold-water swimming and its mental health benefits, we're thrilled to have her leading our sessions. Joining her is Calum MacLean – an experienced loch swimmer known for his captivating storytelling and deep connection with the water. Gilly and Calum will take turns guiding each session. Each experience begins with an engaging talk, followed by expert advice and encouragement to help you fully embrace the world of open water swimming.
Saturday 8:30am: Calum Maclean
Saturday 3:30pm: Gilly McArthur
Sunday 8:30am: Gilly McArthur
Sunday 3:30pm: Calum Maclean
Loch Paddle
Details of these sessions to follow
Saturday 9:30am
Saturday 1:30pm
Sunday 9:30am
Sunday 1:30pm
Nature Connection Sessions
Yoga & Foundation Training
Our yoga sessions are led by local supplier of yoga, sustainable health, and wellness products Movewell The sessions will include some introductory pranayama (breathing) and an energising vinyasa flow. All abilities of yoga are welcome. Weather permitting, these will be outdoor sessions.
Foundation Training is a movement practice, very different from yoga and Pilates, which specifically counteracts the negative effects of our modern, lifestyles. It provides the building blocks for lifelong fitness, either as a stand-alone programme for pain relief or a jumping off-point for more advanced exercise.
Yoga: Sessions at 7:30, 8:30 and 4:30 on both days
Foundation Training: 11:00 on both days
Bushcraft
Throughout the Elements Festival, Howl will be providing our bushcraft sessions, including skills like fire starting, carving, foraging, and more. The aim of Howl Bushcraft is to provide the elementary skills needed to spend time outdoors without the clutter of modern gadgets and gear. Howl looks to nature to provide what we need, and the skill of our hands to craft it. These are really fun hands-on sessions.
Running all weekend long as a drop-in format
Wild Cooking & Wild Cocktails
Our hosts Monachyle Mhor and Rvival will lead these sessions with their expert chefs demonstrating the art of cooking over fire, using the finest local ingredients and skills gleaned from years of cooking outdoors. They’ll also be the chance to create your own cocktails using foraged ingredients (and a few mixers). Not to be missed.
Wild Cooking: 11:00 Saturday and Sunday
Wild Cocktails: 16:00 Saturday and Sunday
Discover Tea Ritual
Join From Trees Teas for a unique workshop adventuring into the use of organic pure plant teas. Learn to slow brew, savouring the leaves and honouring the trees. Explore a new daily ritual that benefits collective health – for you and the planet. The session will start and end with a short Qigong practice to help you feel grounded and present.
From Trees Teas will be around all weekend but there are specific sessions at 8:30 and 11:00 on both days
Creative & Inspiration Sessions
Speaker Sessions
Dan Milner will be sharing tales from his mountain biking adventures across the globe and discussing the importance of good photography in adventure storytelling.
Join Calum MacLean for a captivating talk exploring the rich heritage and modern revival of Scottish Gaelic. Delve into the language’s history, its cultural significance, and how its timeless expressions continue to shape Scotland’s identity today.
Join adventurer and Passenger ambassador, Lise Wortley, as she retraces the steps of female explorers lost to the history books. Stories of faded names, first ascents, and new-found escapism.
Lizzie Daly is a biologist, presenter, and filmmaker, and has been involved in creating wildlife documentaries around the world. In this session, she’ll share her wealth of knowledge about tracking, filming, and interacting with nature – and telling stories with impact.
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
Panel Sessions & Workshops
Women in Adventure
Jenny Tough hosts a panel including Elise Wortley, Lizzie Daly, Renee McGregor, and Vedangi Kulkarni to discuss opening up the outdoor world to more women, creating inclusive spaces, and embracing unique identities in the industry. This session is inclusive to all.
Creative Writing
Join our team of Sidetracked editors and writers to help you unlock your creativity, find your voice, and explore practical advice for working as a writer.
Photography
Sidetracked Creative Director, John Summerton, leads this masterclass on what makes a great photo. Join him (and a gaggle of Sidetracked photographers) for tips on storytelling through the lens and gain some insight into what he looks for in a cover shot.
Film Making
For amateurs, professionals, and people who just like seeing really good films. Join some of Sidetracked’s favourite leading outdoor filmmakers to discuss what it takes to make a good film, how different platforms affect content, ethics of filmmaking in the outdoors, and more.
Expedition Planning
Some of Sidetracked’s most intrepid global adventurers share their thoughts and advice on planning incredible journeys. From daydreaming to route plotting to cutting down your toothbrush handle, come with your questions and big adventure dreams to get some advice from the panel.
Adventure Storytelling
We weren’t really sure what to call this session, but ‘storytelling’ seemed like the best way to summarise the gift of these speakers, who use their various platforms to share their worlds of adventure to inspire more people to get into the outdoors.
Art Sessions
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Evening Entertainment
Includes
Acoustic Sessions
After a day of adventuring, refuel with delicious offerings from a variety of food trucks while the bar serves beers, wines, and non-alcoholic beverages. Grab a bite, a drink, and a seat to relax, catch up with friends, and enjoy live acoustic music by our local musician.
Jenny Tough’s Really Difficult Pub Quiz
A great way to meet new people and learn some useless facts that Jenny has found for us. It’ll be fun, trust us.
Five Fast Photos
Join some of our favourite Sidetracked contributors as they take the stage for a whirlwind session. Each guest gets just ten minutes to showcase their top five photos and share the stories behind them. With adventurers like Lizzie Daly, Gilly McArthur, Dan Milner, Lise Wortley, and Adam Raja, expect a global journey through captivating imagery and incredible tales.
Ceilidh
Experience a lively ceilidh in the big barn, led by a local band. Get ready to kick up your heels and celebrate with traditional Scottish tunes.
Live Music & Dancing
Artists to be announced soon
