Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to provide information to website owners about how their site is being used.

Cookies are not harmful — they cannot carry viruses or install software on your device. They simply store a small amount of data that can be read back by the website on a future visit.

As well as cookies, we may also use similar technologies such as web beacons (tiny transparent images used to track page visits) and local storage (similar to cookies but stored differently in your browser).

2. How We Use Cookies

We use cookies on www.balblaircottages.com for a number of purposes:

• To ensure the website functions correctly and securely.
• To remember your preferences, such as your saved favourite cottages.
• To understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it.
• To record whether you have accepted or declined our cookie consent banner.
• To support embedded content and widgets from our third-party booking partners.

We do not use cookies to identify you personally unless you have submitted a contact form, nor do we use cookies for advertising or tracking purposes across other websites.

3. Types of Cookies We Use

We categorise the cookies on our website as follows:

• Essential cookies — these are strictly necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They include the cookie that stores your consent preference.
• Analytics cookies — these help us understand how visitors interact with our site, including which pages are most visited and how long people spend on each page. This information is used in aggregate form only.
• Preference cookies — these remember choices you make on the site, such as cottages you have saved to your favourites list, so you do not have to start again on each visit.
• Third-party cookies — set by external services embedded on our pages, such as booking widgets, maps, or social sharing buttons. These are governed by the privacy policies of those third parties.

4. Cookie List

The table below lists the specific cookies used on this website:

This list may not be exhaustive. As the website evolves, new cookies may be introduced. We will update this table when that happens.

5. Third-Party Cookies

Some pages on our website include content or functionality provided by third parties, including:

• Google Analytics — we use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use our website. Google may set cookies on your device to support this. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.
• Booking partners — when you view an availability widget or click through to book, our booking partners (such as Sykes Cottages or Hoseasons) may set their own cookies. These are governed by their respective privacy and cookie policies.
• Mapping services — if embedded maps are displayed on a cottage page, the map provider (e.g. Google Maps) may set cookies. Please refer to their privacy policy for details.

We have no control over these third-party cookies and are not responsible for them. You can opt out of third-party analytics tracking via Google's opt-out tool.

6. Managing Your Cookies

You have several options for managing or disabling cookies:

• Browser settings — most browsers allow you to view, manage, delete, and block cookies. The steps vary by browser; consult your browser's help documentation for instructions.
• Our cookie banner — when you first visit our website, you can accept or decline non-essential cookies via the consent banner at the bottom of the page. You can change your preference at any time by clearing your browser cookies and revisiting the site.
• Third-party opt-outs — for third-party analytics such as Google Analytics, you can use the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Please note that disabling essential cookies may prevent parts of this website from working correctly. Disabling analytics or preference cookies will not affect your ability to browse cottages or use the site.

For guidance on managing cookies in popular browsers, see:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge

7. Your Consent

When you first visit www.balblaircottages.com, a cookie consent banner is displayed at the bottom of the page. By clicking Accept, you consent to our use of all cookies described in this policy.

If you click Decline, we will only set the essential cookie required to remember your preference. No analytics or preference cookies will be set.

Your consent is stored for 12 months. You can withdraw it at any time by clearing your browser cookies, which will cause the banner to reappear on your next visit.

Our use of cookies is also described in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of our overall data protection approach under UK GDPR.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. When we do, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of this website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please get in touch:

• Email: info@balblaircottages.com
• Phone:
• Address: Balblair, Easter Ross, Highland, IV19

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you have concerns about how we use your data.