This policy explains how The Lakes Planner ("we", "us") collects and uses personal data when you use thelakesplanner.co.uk and when you sign up to our emails, and the rights you have under UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).
The Lakes Planner is operated by Cascade Digital, which acts as the data controller for this site. This policy applies to website visitors, newsletter subscribers and anyone who contacts us.
Who we are
- Data controller: Cascade Digital (trading as The Lakes Planner)
- Website: thelakesplanner.co.uk
- Contact email: hello@thelakesplanner.co.uk
If we appoint a data protection contact or officer in future, we will update this policy.
What personal data we collect
We only collect the information we need to run the site and provide our newsletter. This includes:
- Newsletter sign-ups: when you subscribe to our "What the Fell" newsletter, we collect your email address and any name you choose to provide.
- Messages you send us: if you email us or use any contact form we may add, we collect your contact details and the content of your message so we can respond.
- Technical and usage data: like most websites, our hosting and analytics services may record technical information such as your IP address, browser type and version, device information, the pages you visit, and the time and date of your visit. This helps us keep the site secure, understand which content is useful and troubleshoot problems.
You do not need an account to read our guides or to use the free day planner, and the planner does not require you to submit personal details. If this changes, we will update this policy.
How we use your data
- Newsletter and updates: to send you the "What the Fell" newsletter you asked for. This may include editorial content, curated links, and occasional information about our own products, services or partners relevant to Lake District travel and planning. You can unsubscribe at any time (see below).
- Enquiries and feedback: to respond to questions, feedback and requests you send us, and to keep a basic record of our communications where appropriate.
- Operating and improving the website: to operate, secure, maintain and improve the site, including monitoring for abuse (such as hacking attempts), understanding which content is popular and fixing problems.
We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Legal bases for using your data
Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each way we use personal data. We rely on:
- Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR): for sending our newsletter and email updates. You give this when you sign up and confirm your subscription. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" in our emails or contacting us.
- Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR): for running, securing and improving our website, and for replying to people who contact us. Our legitimate interests include operating a useful information resource for Lake District visitors and promoting our services, balanced against your rights and expectations.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered the impact on you and believe the processing is proportionate and does not override your rights.
Newsletter and emails
Our newsletter is sent on the basis of your consent. Every newsletter email includes a clear unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time. When you unsubscribe, we keep a minimal record on a "do not contact" suppression list so that we can honour your choice and avoid emailing you again by mistake. The newsletter is primarily editorial and informational, but may include occasional promotions or links to our own products and services so that your consent is properly informed.
Sharing and third-party services
We do not sell your personal data. We use trusted third-party services to help us run this site and our newsletter, and some of these may process limited personal data (such as your IP address or email address) on our behalf:
- Website hosting and infrastructure: our hosting provider and related infrastructure services (such as content delivery networks) store the website and deliver it securely to your browser.
- Email and newsletter tools: we use an email platform to manage subscriptions, send newsletters and handle unsubscribe requests. This platform stores your email address and any associated metadata (such as open and click rates) so we can manage the mailing list and understand engagement at an aggregate level.
- Analytics and performance tools: we may use privacy-conscious analytics to understand how people use the site (for example, which pages are most popular). Where we do, we configure these tools in line with ICO guidance as far as practical.
- Embedded content and services: some pages use embedded services such as maps, live-weather widgets, fonts, icons or video players. When these load, your browser connects directly to the relevant provider, which may collect your IP address and set cookies or similar technologies in line with their own privacy policies.
Some of our service providers may be located outside the UK. Where this is the case, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place (for example, UK or EU-approved standard contractual clauses) so that your data remains protected. We only share personal data with these providers to the extent necessary for them to perform their services, and they are bound by contracts that require them to handle your data securely and lawfully.
Cookies and similar technologies
We do not use our own advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. However:
- Some embedded third-party services (such as maps, weather widgets or video players) may set cookies, pixels or similar technologies when they load.
- Our hosting or analytics providers may use cookies or server-side logs to deliver the site, measure usage and protect against abuse.
You can control or block cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how certain parts of the site work, particularly embedded content. If we add our own cookies for analytics or preferences in future, we will update this section and provide clear information and choices.
How long we keep your data
We keep personal data only for as long as we need it for the purposes described above. Broadly:
- Newsletter data: we keep your email address and subscription data until you unsubscribe or we stop sending the newsletter. We may also keep a record of your unsubscribe request on a "do not contact" list so we don't email you again by mistake.
- Messages and enquiries: we keep enquiry emails and messages for as long as needed to deal with them, typically up to 12 months, unless we need to keep them longer for legal, accounting or fraud-prevention reasons.
- Technical logs: server logs and similar technical data are kept for a limited period for security and troubleshooting (typically no more than 30–90 days, unless we need to investigate an issue).
We review our retention periods regularly and delete or anonymise data that we no longer need.
How we keep your data secure
We use a combination of technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. These include:
- Using HTTPS to encrypt data in transit between your browser and our site.
- Restricting access to personal data in our tools (for example, newsletter platform access is limited to people who need it).
- Using strong passwords and, where available, multi-factor authentication for our accounts.
While no system is 100% secure, we work to keep your information safe and to respond appropriately to any suspected incidents.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:
- The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
- The right to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
- The right to ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
- The right to object to or restrict our use of your data in certain circumstances.
- The right to withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent (for example, for our newsletter). This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw.
- The right to data portability in certain circumstances (to receive a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format).
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@thelakesplanner.co.uk. We may need to ask for proof of identity before we can respond to certain requests, to protect your privacy.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we are using your data — in addition to raising it with us. You can find out how to do this at ico.org.uk. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns first.
Children
This site is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can delete it where appropriate.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example if we add new features or services. The "last updated" date at the top shows when it was last changed, and any new version will apply from the date it is posted on this page.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this policy or how we use your data, please email us at hello@thelakesplanner.co.uk.