Cookie Policy
Cookies are small files that websites store on your device to help them work properly, remember your choices and understand how they are used. This policy explains how cookies and similar technologies may be used on EcoTrails and how you can control them.
01What Are Cookies?
A cookie is a small text file that a website saves in your browser when you visit it. The next time you visit, or as you move between pages, the website can read that file to recognise your browser and remember certain information.
Cookies do not give a website access to your files, and they cannot run programs on your device. Some last only until you close your browser (session cookies), while others stay for a set period or until you delete them (persistent cookies).
Websites can also use similar technologies, such as local storage, pixels or scripts, for comparable purposes. In this policy, “cookies” includes these similar technologies.
02How We May Use Cookies
Depending on the features and services active on EcoTrails at any given time, cookies may be used for:
- Essential website functionality: keeping the website secure and working properly, including forms and spam protection
- Remembering preferences: saving choices you make, such as your cookie consent decision
- Website analytics: measuring visits, page views and how visitors arrive at the website
- Understanding website usage: learning which guides are most useful so we can improve our content
- Advertising and measurement, where applicable: showing ads and measuring how they perform, if advertising is enabled
03Types of Cookies
The categories below describe the kinds of cookies a website like EcoTrails may use. Not every category is necessarily active on our website at any given time.
Essential Cookies
These cookies are needed for the website to work. They support basic functions such as security, page loading and form submissions. Because the website cannot function properly without them, they generally cannot be switched off through our website.
Functional Cookies
Functional cookies remember choices you make to give you a smoother experience, such as remembering that you have already responded to a cookie notice.
Analytics Cookies
If analytics tools are used, these cookies collect information about how visitors use the website, such as which pages are visited, how long people stay and which websites referred them. This information is typically reviewed in aggregate to help improve EcoTrails.
Advertising Cookies
If advertising is enabled, these cookies may be used by advertising providers to show ads, limit how often the same ad appears and measure ad performance. See Section 6 for more detail.
Third-Party Cookies
Third-party cookies are set by a domain other than EcoTrails, usually by a service that is embedded in or connected to our pages. These cookies are controlled by the third party, not by us. See Section 4 for more detail.
04Third-Party Services
Some features on EcoTrails may be provided by third-party services. When these services are embedded in or used on our pages, they may set their own cookies, even if you do not interact with them directly.
As examples only, a travel website might include embedded videos, interactive maps, social media posts, spam protection on forms, analytics tools or advertising. These examples describe common types of services and do not confirm that any particular service is used on EcoTrails.
Cookies set by third parties are governed by their own privacy and cookie policies. We encourage you to review those policies to understand how they use information.
05Managing Cookies
You are in control of cookies on your device. Most web browsers let you:
- See which cookies are stored and delete them
- Block all cookies, or only third-party cookies
- Clear cookies automatically when you close the browser
- Browse in private or incognito mode, which usually discards cookies after the session
These options are usually found in your browser’s privacy, security or settings menu. Mobile devices may also offer settings to limit ad tracking.
Please note: disabling some cookies, especially essential cookies, may affect how parts of EcoTrails work. For example, some forms or features may not function as expected.
Where required, we may also show a cookie notice that lets you accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your cookies and revisiting the website.
06Advertising Cookies
If advertising is enabled on EcoTrails, advertising providers may use cookies or similar technologies to:
- Deliver advertisements on our pages
- Measure how ads perform, such as how many times they are seen or clicked
- Limit how often you see the same advertisement
- Personalise ads based on your interests, depending on their policies, your settings and applicable law
How advertising cookies are used depends on each provider’s own policies and the consent and privacy settings that apply to you. Many providers offer tools to manage or opt out of personalised advertising. For more about advertising on EcoTrails, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer.
07Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy when website features, services or legal requirements change, for example if we add analytics, advertising or new embedded content. Any changes will be published on this page.
We encourage you to review this page from time to time to stay informed about how cookies may be used on EcoTrails.
08Contact
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or how cookies are used on EcoTrails, please get in touch.