Last updated: 21 July 2026
This policy explains what information The Walking Universe collects when you visit thewalkinglondon.com, why we collect it, and the choices you have. We aim to collect as little as possible and to be plain about what we do.
The Walking Universe (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a travel content studio that publishes The Walking London, The Walking New York and The Walking Europe. For any privacy question, contact us at [email protected]. For the purposes of UK and EU data protection law, we are the “data controller” for this website.
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the site is used — which pages are popular, roughly where visitors come from, and how people move through the site — so we can make it better. We also use Hotjar to see anonymised, aggregated interaction patterns (such as heatmaps) on some pages.
These tools only set cookies and collect this data after you accept on our cookie banner. Until then, analytics runs in a cookieless “consent denied” mode (Google Consent Mode v2), which sends only coarse, non-identifying signals and stores nothing on your device. If you decline, no analytics cookies are set. We do not use this data to identify you personally and we do not use it for advertising.
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we store the email address you give us so we can send you our monthly letter. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email, or by emailing us. We do not sell or rent your email address.
If you contact us or submit a form (for example a partnership or “work with us” enquiry), we receive the details you choose to send — such as your name, email address and message — so we can reply. We keep this only as long as needed to handle your enquiry.
Like most websites, our hosting and security provider (Cloudflare) automatically processes basic technical information — such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested — to serve the site, keep it secure and prevent abuse. This is standard server logging and is not used to build a profile of you.
A cookie is a small file stored on your device. We use them only for the analytics described above, and only after you accept. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
You can change your mind at any time: clear this site’s cookies and site data in your browser, then reload the page to see the banner again. You can also block cookies entirely in your browser settings — the site will still work.
We rely on a small number of trusted providers. Each has its own privacy policy:
| Service | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Google Analytics (Google) | Website analytics (consent-based) |
| Hotjar | Aggregated interaction insights (consent-based) |
| Cloudflare | Hosting, content delivery and security |
| YouTube (Google) | Embedded videos on some pages |
| Fourthwall | Our merchandise store and checkout |
| Google Fonts / Google Maps | Typography and maps where shown |
Some of these providers are based outside the UK/EU. Where your information is transferred internationally, it is protected by appropriate safeguards such as the providers’ standard contractual clauses and data protection frameworks.
Under UK GDPR / EU GDPR, we process your information on these bases:
Analytics data is retained for a limited period in Google Analytics and then deleted or aggregated. Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe. Enquiry messages are kept only as long as needed to handle them. Technical logs are short-lived.
You have the right to:
To exercise any of these, email [email protected]. If you are in the UK and are unhappy with how we handle your data, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
This site is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13.
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top. Significant changes will be made clear on this page.
Questions about this policy or your information? Email [email protected].