Last updated 1 November 2026
This policy explains what personal information The Lost Peak collects when you use this website, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it and the rights you have over it.
In short
- You can use the website without giving us any personal information.
- If you create an account, join the newsletter or contact us, we only keep what we need for that.
- We never sell your information and there are no adverts or advertising trackers on this website.
- You can ask to see, correct or delete your information at any time by emailing [email protected].
Contents
Who We Are
The Lost Peak runs this website and is the controller of the personal information described in this policy. That means we decide how and why it is used, and we are responsible for looking after it.
If you have any questions about this policy or your information, email [email protected].
What We Collect and Why
We only collect personal information when you choose to give it to us, plus a small amount of technical information that every website needs to work. Here is everything we collect, why, the legal basis we rely on under UK data protection law, and how long we keep it.
Your account
- What
- Your email address, your name if you give it, when you joined and when you last signed in.
- Why
- To let you sign in and keep track of the hills you have completed.
- Legal basis
- Contract: we need it to provide the account you asked for.
- Kept for
- As long as you have an account. We delete it when you ask us to.
Hills you have completed
- What
- Which hills you have ticked off, the date, and anything you add to a climb in your journal: notes, who you went with, photos (only you can see them) and any second rounds of a list. If you tick hills by uploading a GPS track, the track is read on your device and is not sent to us or stored. If you import your log from the EthelReady app, by pasting it or emailing it to us, we read the hills and dates from it.
- Why
- To show your progress on the maps and hill pages.
- Legal basis
- Contract: it is part of the account you asked for.
- Kept for
- As long as you have an account.
Newsletter
- What
- Your email address, your first name if you give it, and when and where on the site you signed up.
- Why
- To send you our newsletter about new hikes and routes.
- Legal basis
- Consent: you can withdraw it at any time with the unsubscribe link in every email.
- Kept for
- Until you unsubscribe. After that we keep only your email address marked as unsubscribed, so we never email you again by mistake.
Messages you send us
- What
- Your name, email address, subject, message and the page you sent it from.
- Why
- To read and reply to your message.
- Legal basis
- Legitimate interests: answering people who get in touch.
- Kept for
- As long as we need it to deal with your message and any follow-up.
Keeping the website secure
- What
- Your IP address, briefly, when you sign in, subscribe or send a message.
- Why
- To stop spam and repeated attempts to misuse forms.
- Legal basis
- Legitimate interests: keeping the website and its users safe.
- Kept for
- A few minutes. Sign-in links expire after use and are deleted within a day.
How the website is used
- What
- Anonymous counts of how the website is used: which pages are viewed, the town or region and country a visit comes from (worked out by Cloudflare from the connection; the address itself is not kept), the kind of device, the website you came from, how long a page is on screen, how far down it is scrolled, which buttons and links are tapped, how fast the page loads and any errors. No cookies are used and nothing is linked to you or your account.
- Why
- To see which pages and parts of pages help people most, and to make them better and faster.
- Legal basis
- Legitimate interests: improving the website. The counts cannot identify you.
- Kept for
- Daily totals are kept. A scrambled daily code used to count unique visitors is deleted after two days.
Your location (Near me)
- What
- Your approximate location, only if you tap Near me and allow it in your browser.
- Why
- To work out drive times from you to each hike.
- Legal basis
- Consent: your browser asks you first and you can say no.
- Kept for
- Not kept. It stays on your device and is sent to Mapbox only to calculate the drive times.
Who We Share It With
We never sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with the companies that help us run the website, and only what they need to do their job. They act on our instructions.
- Cloudflare
- Hosts the website and the database that stores accounts, progress, subscribers and messages.
- Resend
- Sends our emails: sign-in links, the newsletter and replies.
- Stores a private backup copy of our database in Google Drive.
- Mapbox
- Draws the maps and works out drive times. Your browser connects to Mapbox, which sees your IP address.
- Open-Meteo
- Provides the summit weather forecasts. Your browser connects to it, which shares your IP address.
- GitHub
- Hosts the 3D route flyovers. Your browser connects to it when a flyover loads.
Some hike pages show a video from YouTube, which receives your IP address when the video loads and has its own privacy policy.
We may also share information if the law requires it, for example to answer a valid request from the police or a court.
International Transfers
Some of the companies above store or process information outside the UK, including in the United States. When that happens we make sure your information is protected to UK standards, either because the UK has approved the country (including the UK–US data bridge for certified companies) or through contracts approved by the UK Information Commissioner.
Your Rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- See the personal information we hold about you and get a copy of it.
- Correct anything that is wrong or incomplete.
- Delete your information, including your account.
- Object to us using your information, or ask us to limit how we use it.
- Take your information with you in a common format.
- Withdraw consent at any time, for example by unsubscribing from the newsletter.
To use any of these rights, email [email protected]. It is free and we will reply within one month.
Making a Complaint
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first at [email protected] so we can try to put it right.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Cookies
We use the cookies and browser storage the website needs to work, plus one optional setting that remembers the pages you visited recently so search can show them first. It is only used if you allow it, and it stays on your device. There are no advertising or tracking cookies. Our Cookies Policy lists every one.
Keeping It Safe
The whole website uses an encrypted connection (HTTPS). We do not use passwords: you sign in with a one-time link sent to your email, and sign-in details are stored in a scrambled form. Only The Lost Peak can access the database. No system is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.
Children
You must be 13 or over to create an account or join the newsletter. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you think a child has given us their information, email us and we will delete it.
Other Websites
We link to other websites, such as OS Maps, AllTrails, Komoot and weather services. We are not responsible for how they handle your information, so please read their privacy policies.
Changes to This Policy
We will update this policy when what we do with your information changes. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. If a change affects you significantly, for example if you have an account, we will email you.
Questions about this page?
Email: [email protected]