Cookie Policy

This page provides information about how we use cookies on our website to enhance your browsing experience, improve website performance, and deliver content from third-party sources.

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit our site. They help us understand how visitors interact with our website, allowing us to offer a smoother and more efficient user experience.

1. Types of Cookies We Use

We categorize our cookies into two main groups to be as transparent as possible:

A. Strictly Necessary Cookies (First-Party)

These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you, such as navigating between pages or logging in securely.

  • wordpress_test_cookie: Used by WordPress to check if your browser supports cookies. (Expires: Session)

  • show_photos: A local preference cookie used to remember that you have clicked "Show Photos" so the gallery displays correctly for the rest of your visit. (Expires: Session)

B. Third-Party "On-Demand" Content

To provide a rich experience, we feature content from external providers. To protect your privacy, these scripts are blocked by default. External connections only occur if you choose to interact with the content (e.g., clicking "Play" or "Show Photos").

  • YouTube (Google): When you play an embedded video, YouTube may set cookies to track video views, store player preferences, and estimate bandwidth.

  • Flickr (SmugMug): When you unlock a photo gallery, Flickr sets cookies (such as xb and ccc) for security, DDoS protection, and to recognize your browser. Some of these cookies are persistent.

  • Wikimedia: While Wikimedia does not typically set tracking cookies for image delivery, unblocking Wikimedia content allows their servers to receive your IP address and browser type to serve the image file.

2. Why We Don't Use a Consent Banner

Because this website does not load any non-essential or tracking cookies upon your initial arrival, we are compliant with UK GDPR and PECR without the need for a persistent cookie banner. We use "Consent by Action": by clicking to view external content, you are making a clear affirmative choice to engage with that third party and their respective cookie policies.

3. How to Manage or Delete Cookies

You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. You can delete all cookies already on your computer and set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.

  • Browser Settings: You can find information on how to manage cookies for your specific browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) in the browser's "Help" or "Settings" section.

  • Clearing Cache: If you have clicked "Show Photos" and wish to "re-block" them, simply clear your browser's cookies/cache for this site.

4. More Information

For further information on how we handle your data, please visit our Privacy Policy.

Statement of Accuracy: While we strive to ensure this policy is a perfect reflection of our technical setup, we are a small independent site and "Errors and Omissions are Excepted" (E&OE). We regularly audit our scripts to ensure privacy compliance. If you believe we have missed a cookie or an external connection, please contact us immediately so we can investigate and update our records.