What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help websites work properly, remember your preferences, and understand how visitors use the site. Some cookies are essential; others are optional.
Your consent choices
We ask for your consent using Google’s consent management tool (Google Privacy & messaging), which is certified under the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) v2.2. It is shown to visitors in the UK, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Your answer decides whether Google Analytics, Google AdSense and Microsoft Clarity may use cookies. Until you agree, Google’s tags run in consent mode without cookies and Clarity runs without cookies.
If Google’s message is not available for your visit, a simpler cookie banner (Cookie Compliance by Hu-manity.co) is shown instead, and your choice there controls the same tools. You can change your mind at any time using the privacy and cookie settings link Google’s tool places on the page, or by clearing cookies for this site in your browser.
What loads on this site
- Google Analytics 4 (via Site Kit by Google): visit statistics. Cookies only with consent.
- Google AdSense: adverts. Personalised ads and ad cookies only with consent.
- Google Privacy & messaging: the consent tool itself. It stores your choice in a cookie (for example FCCDCF).
- Microsoft Clarity: heatmaps and session recordings. Cookies only with consent.
- Cloudflare: security and bot protection (for example cf_clearance). Essential.
- Our own self-hosted visit counter: counts page views without cookies.
- Maps and fonts: map tiles and web fonts are loaded from third-party servers, which see your IP address but set no cookies for us.
Cookies we use
Essential cookies
These are required for the site to function. They handle things like login sessions, form submissions, and security. You cannot disable these without breaking site functionality.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| wordpress_logged_in_* | Keeps you logged in if you have an account | Session |
| wordpress_sec_* | Authentication security | Session |
| wp_lang | Language preference | Session |
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics to understand how people use the site. This helps us improve the directory and focus on the pages and features people find useful.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Distinguishes unique visitors | 2 years |
| _ga_* | Maintains session state | 2 years |
| _gid | Distinguishes visitors (short-term) | 24 hours |
| _gat | Throttles request rate | 1 minute |
You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on.
Advertising cookies (Google AdSense)
We display ads through Google AdSense. Google and its partners use cookies to serve ads based on your browsing history across the web.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| __gads | Measures ad interactions | 13 months |
| __gpi | Ad personalisation | 13 months |
| IDE | DoubleClick ad serving and retargeting | 13 months |
| NID | Ad preferences (non-logged-in users) | 6 months |
| DSID | Identifies signed-in users for ad preferences | 2 weeks |
You can opt out of personalised advertising at Google Ads Settings or aboutads.info.
Behaviour analytics (Microsoft Clarity)
We use Microsoft Clarity to see how pages are used, through heatmaps and session recordings, so we can fix pages that confuse visitors. Clarity masks text you type into forms. It does not identify you to us.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _clck | Clarity user ID (first-party) | 1 year |
| _clsk | Links page views into one session (first-party) | 1 day |
| CLID, MUID, MR, SM, ANONCHK | Set by Microsoft (third-party) | Up to 1 year |
More information: Clarity cookie list and the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
Managing cookies
Most browsers let you control cookies through their settings. Here is how to manage cookies in the most common browsers:
Please note that blocking all cookies may affect how the site works. Essential cookies are required for core functionality.
Third-party cookies
Some cookies on our site are set by third parties (Google Analytics, Google AdSense, Microsoft Clarity). We do not control these cookies. Please refer to the respective third party’s privacy policy for details on how they use your data:
Updates
This cookie policy may be updated from time to time. The date below shows when it was last reviewed.
Last updated: 1 October 2026