Privacy Policy

Information we collect

We do not ask you to create an account and we do not knowingly collect information that directly identifies you. The information involved when you use the site falls into two groups:

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, our hosting provider and the services we use automatically record standard technical information when you visit — including your IP address, browser type and version, device type, the pages you view, the date and time of your visit, and the site you came from. This is used to keep the site secure, diagnose problems and understand general traffic patterns.

Information you give us

If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you choose to put in your message. We use it only to reply to you and we do not add you to any marketing list.

The Trail Partner enquiry form on our Trail Partners page doesn't send anything to us directly and the site stores nothing you type. When you submit it, it opens your own email app with a pre-filled message, and nothing is sent until you press send there. We record an anonymous analytics event when the form is started, abandoned or submitted, which includes the name of a form field (for example "business name") but never what you typed.

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use them to make the site work and, where you allow it, to support advertising. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings, and you can change your advertising choices at any time using the consent controls described below. Blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the site function.

Advertising

We use Google AdSense, a third‑party advertising service provided by Google, to display adverts on this site. When adverts are served:

• Third‑party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve adverts based on your prior visits to this and other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve adverts to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
• Google and its partners may use device identifiers, cookies and similar technologies to collect and process data as described in Google's policies.

You can learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and you can review or opt out of personalised advertising in your Google account at myadcenter.google.com. You can opt out of personalised advertising from many other vendors at aboutads.info/choices and youronlinechoices.eu.

Trail partner listings

Some pages show clearly labelled "Trail Partner" listings and adverts for local businesses. They set no cookies of their own and use no tracking pixels, and we never share information that identifies you with partners. With your analytics consent, Google Analytics records when an advert is shown and when its links are clicked, so that we can report total views and clicks to the business. Links to a partner's website carry standard campaign tags (for example utm_source=furnessway.co.uk) so the business can see in its own analytics that you came from us. If you follow a partner link, that business's own privacy policy applies. Find out more on our Trail Partners page.

Affiliate and sister-site links

Some adverts and links are affiliate links, labelled "Affiliate" or "Affiliate link". If you buy through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links include a referral code so the retailer can credit us, and the retailer may set its own cookies once you arrive on its site. We also link to our sister site, CalculatorDashboard, which is labelled "Our sister site". As with partner adverts, Google Analytics records views and clicks on these if you have given analytics consent.

Maps, fonts and other third-party services

Some features load content from other providers, which receive your IP address and browser details as a normal part of delivering it:

• Interactive maps load map tiles from OpenStreetMap and the Leaflet mapping library from unpkg.com.
• Fonts are loaded from Google Fonts.
• Our hosting provider, Vercel, serves every page and keeps standard server logs.

We don't use any of these services to identify you or to advertise to you.

Your advertising and privacy choices (UK, EEA and Switzerland)

We ask for your consent before setting any analytics or advertising cookies that are not strictly necessary. At the moment the site shows its own short banner asking whether you accept analytics cookies; you can change your answer at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in the footer. Advertising cookies stay switched off. If and when we start showing Google adverts, visitors from the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area and Switzerland will be asked for their advertising choices through a Google‑certified consent management platform, and where you do not consent you may still see non‑personalised advertising.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google, to understand aggregate traffic — for example, how many people visit each page, which pages are most popular and roughly where visitors come from. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect this information, and we operate it with Google Consent Mode so that analytics and advertising cookies are only set after you allow them through the consent controls above. Where you do not consent, no analytics cookies are stored and only aggregate, non‑identifying measurement signals may be collected. IP addresses are handled by Google in accordance with its own policies. You can read more about how Google uses data at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

GPX and route downloads

GPX and GeoJSON route files are provided free and do not require sign‑up. Downloading them does not require you to give us any personal information. With your analytics consent, Google Analytics records which file was downloaded, so we know which routes are most used. How you may use the files is covered in our terms of use.

Links to other websites

The site links to third‑party websites (for example transport operators, accommodation and official council pages). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites; please review their own policies.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018) you have rights over personal data we hold about you, including the right to access it, to ask us to correct or delete it, and to object to or restrict its processing. To exercise any of these rights, email blacktipsheets@gmail.com. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Children's privacy

This site is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised "last updated" date.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data: blacktipsheets@gmail.com.