Last updated: 9 October 2026
Who runs Kayak Mad?
I’m Mark, the owner and writer of Kayak Mad, an independent kayaking blog based in the UK. I am responsible for the personal information collected through this website.
For privacy questions or requests about your information, email hello@kayakmad.com. Messages to this address are forwarded to my Kayak Mad Gmail inbox.
Information collected when you visit
The website’s hosting and security systems process technical information such as IP addresses, requested pages, browser details, access times and errors. This helps deliver the website, investigate problems and protect it against spam and unauthorised access. IP addresses and online identifiers can be personal information, even when they do not include your name.
If you email me, I receive your email address, the name you provide and the contents of your message, including any attachments. Please only send information needed for your enquiry. I use it to reply, deal with corrections or handle your privacy request.
Contact form and spam protection
My contact form asks for your name, email address and message, with an optional subject. I use these details to respond to your enquiry. Submissions are stored in the website’s database using Fluent Forms, and a notification is sent to my Kayak Mad Gmail inbox. They are not used to add you to a mailing list.
The form uses Cloudflare Turnstile to help distinguish genuine visitors from automated spam. Cloudflare processes technical information about your browser and connection for this check. You can read Cloudflare’s privacy policy for more information. The form also uses a hidden spam-trap field and token checks. Fluent Forms IP logging is disabled, although hosting and security systems may still process IP addresses as described above. You can email me instead if you prefer.
Google Analytics and Site Kit
Kayak Mad uses Google Analytics, connected through Site Kit, to understand how people find and use the website. Reports can include pages viewed, interactions, referring websites, approximate location and browser or device information. Online identifiers and cookies may be used to distinguish visits.
Google processes information when its services load. Read how Google uses information from websites that use its services and Google’s privacy policy. These reports help me see which guides readers find useful and where the website needs improving.
Cookies and your choices
Cookies are small files stored by your browser. WordPress and security services can use them for functions such as administrator sign-in and protection against misuse. Analytics and embedded services may also use cookies or similar technology.
You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies can affect website features. Google also provides a Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. This add-on applies to Analytics, not every service used by a website.
Where consent is required for optional cookies or processing, it must be obtained separately. Reading this policy, continuing to browse or emailing me does not by itself give consent to optional tracking. You can contact me about your choices or to withdraw consent previously given.
Videos and external websites
Some pages include videos or other content provided by third parties, including YouTube. Loading or interacting with embedded content may send information such as your IP address and page URL to that provider. Your activity may be associated with an account you hold with them, depending on their settings and policies.
Links to Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and other websites take you to services with their own privacy policies. Check those policies before providing information to them.
Affiliate links and purchases
Some links on Kayak Mad are affiliate links, including links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links can include a tracking identifier so that the retailer can attribute a visit or purchase to Kayak Mad. The retailer may use its own cookies and process information when you visit its website.
Purchases made through these links take place on the retailer’s website. Kayak Mad does not collect your payment-card details for those purchases. Read the retailer’s privacy notice before ordering. There is more information on my affiliate disclosure page.
Why information is used
For running and securing the website and responding to ordinary enquiries, I rely on legitimate interests: maintaining a useful, safe blog and communicating with people who contact me. Those interests must be balanced against your rights. Information needed to meet a legal obligation is processed on that basis. Where consent is the required basis for optional tracking or other processing, you have the right to withdraw it.
Services that help run the website
Service providers may process information needed to carry out their role. These include HostArmada for hosting and email forwarding, Google for Analytics and Gmail, Wordfence for website security, and UpdraftPlus for backups. Backups may contain website records and are stored separately from the live site, including in Google Drive where configured.
These services are used to operate, protect, maintain and understand the website. Personal information may also need to be disclosed where the law requires it or to handle a legal claim.
Processing outside the UK
Some providers, including Google, operate internationally and may process information outside the UK. The destination and protections depend on the service. Their privacy notices explain their arrangements. You can email me for information about the providers involved in your enquiry or a particular use of your data. UK data-protection requirements for international transfers still apply; visiting this website is not consent to an unrestricted transfer.
How long information is kept
Retention depends on the purpose of the information. Enquiries need to be kept while the matter is being handled and where a record is needed for follow-up, a complaint or a legal obligation. Security records are used to investigate incidents and prevent repeated misuse. Analytics records are subject to the service’s retention settings. Backup copies remain until replaced or removed under the backup arrangements.
The relevant criteria are whether the matter is resolved, whether the information is still needed for security or a legal requirement, and whether an identifiable record is necessary. Contact me if you want to know about a particular record or ask for its deletion. Deletion rights can be subject to legal exceptions, and removing a live record may not immediately remove it from backup copies.
Your privacy rights
Depending on the circumstances, you can ask to access your personal information, correct it, delete it, restrict its use or receive a portable copy. You can also object to processing based on legitimate interests and withdraw consent where processing relies on it. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
Email hello@kayakmad.com to make a request. I may need enough information to confirm your identity and locate the relevant records. You can also complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office through the ICO complaints page. You do not have to contact me first.
Changes to this policy
I will update this page when the website’s use of personal information changes and revise the date above. Where a change requires a separate notice or consent, updating this page does not replace that requirement.