Our story

We built the map we wanted.

We're Jack and Poppy, the two people behind Sole Drift. Between us we've lived and travelled across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, and in every country we ran into the same problem.

Jack and Poppy, the founders of Sole Drift — Jack & Poppy · Founders

How it started

The same question, in every country.

Wherever we went, finding somewhere worth going took longer than actually going.

1
The problem
Every country, the same story

We're happiest outdoors: waterfalls, swim holes, rock pools, quiet beach coves. But finding them meant hours of scrolling TikTok, Google Maps full of noise, and blogs with the same top 10 lists and nothing near where we actually were. No exact locations, and none of the details you need on the day.

When we shared the spots we found on Instagram, the messages poured in: "Where is this?" We knew we weren't the only ones.
2
Sole Drift begins
We built the map we wanted

We wanted to land anywhere and know exactly what's nearby, with every detail ready to go. Quick enough for a spontaneous afternoon, useful enough for planning a whole trip.

So we spent hundreds of hours and late nights researching spots across Australia and the UK: walk times, access, parking, signal, the best time to go and what to watch out for. We travelled both countries to visit many of them ourselves and check the details first hand. Jack built the first Sole Drift website himself.
3
From website to app
People loved it, so we went bigger

More than 5,000 explorers signed up to the website, and the responses blew us away. To make it faster and more useful on the go, we turned it into the Sole Drift app: 1,600+ hidden spots across Australia and the UK, 25,000+ downloads, and a place in the Top 100 travel apps in Australia.
4
Community
The best trips are shared

Some of our best days out started with people we'd only just met, in countries where we didn't know a soul. We want Sole Drift to make that easier for everyone, so the app is about people as well as places, with member chats to meet others nearby who love getting outdoors as much as you do.
5
What's next
New maps, new countries

New Zealand is next, and we're working towards more countries after that, with new spots added to every map all the time.

As we grow, so does what we give back. A portion of every membership goes to charities protecting the environment, and we'll keep pushing Leave No Trace in everything we share, so these places stay worth finding.

1,600+hidden spots
25,000+downloads
Top 100Travel app in Australia
10k+Instagram followers

What we stand for

Built by explorers, for explorers.

Every spot researched

Hours of research go into every spot, so the access, walk times, best time to go and what to watch out for are all there before you leave.

Funded by members, not ads

Memberships keep Sole Drift going, and every penny goes back into building the app. No ads, and we never sell your data.

Find your people

We've both moved countries, and we know making friends somewhere new can be hard. Member chats connect you with people nearby who love the outdoors too.

Look after the places we love

A portion of every membership goes to charities protecting the environment, and we push Leave No Trace in everything we share.

From us to you

Sole Drift started because we kept asking "where should we go?" and never found a good answer. We hope it gives you more time out there and less time searching.

Thank you for being part of it. Every member helps us add new spots, reach new countries and give back to the places that make all of this possible. See you out there.

Jack & Poppy