Privacy
Mountain Weather is operated by Spatial Terrain Limited, the data controller for personal information described in this notice. Registered in England and Wales, company number 17413034. Registered office: International House, 51 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1NB. Simon Grogan is the founder and lead developer of Mountain Weather and your contact for privacy enquiries.
Information we use
You do not need an account to browse forecasts. Our hosting provider may record standard server-log information such as your IP address, browser type, requested pages and request time for security, reliability and fault diagnosis.
If you send an API enquiry, we receive your name, email address, organisation, proposed website or app, service requirements and message so that we can reply. Forecast feedback records the place and forecast date, your observations and any optional notes. Feedback on the route-wind beta records the selected route and prepared wind scenario, usefulness and clarity answers, and any optional comments. Please do not include sensitive personal information or an exact camping location in feedback.
Live accommodation searches send the location, dates, number of nights and guests needed to find matching stays. We do not take booking payments on this website.
The app uses a device push token and an installation identifier to deliver the forecasts, weather warnings and watches you choose. Your selected areas, saved forecasts and most preferences are stored on your device. If you create a hill, area or trip watch, the service receives the watch settings and push token needed to match and deliver it.
How and why we use it
We use this information to answer enquiries, provide requested features and notifications, review forecast accuracy, maintain security and diagnose failures. We rely on our legitimate interests in responding to visitors and operating and improving a reliable service. Where an enquiry concerns buying a service, we also use the information to take steps at your request before entering a contract.
Cookies and browser storage
We do not use analytics or advertising cookies on this website. Ordinary forecast browsing does not require our live-search security cookie.
- Live-search security: when you request live accommodation results, a first-party cookie called
mw_web_session_v1allows our search service to recognise and protect that request. It lasts for 30 minutes and is sent only to our internal search routes. It is not used to follow you across websites. - Your app-prompt preference: only when you dismiss the app suggestion do we save
mwAppPromptDismissedUntilin local storage, to hide that prompt for 14 days. It contains an expiry time, not an advertising identifier. Expired preferences are removed when you next open an eligible forecast page.
You can clear these items through your browser's site-data settings. Blocking the security cookie may prevent live accommodation searches from working; blocking local storage means the app suggestion may reappear. These items support the search or display choice you request, rather than optional tracking.
Optional hill-user research
This applies to research in both the Mountain Weather app and website. We use your consent to collect and analyse the responses you choose to submit, to understand weather-related decisions and improve weather communication. Taking part is not required to use forecasts or alerts.
The Mountain Decisions Project asks how weather affects hill days and plans. Participation is voluntary and for adults aged 18 or over. Each answer is saved when you submit it. Forecast-linked questions also record the displayed place, forecast date, issue reference and a small selection of forecast conditions, not your location or browsing history. We do not ask for a name or account. Please leave identifying or sensitive details out of optional notes.
The research uses a random contribution reference, question versions and limited participation events. A tab-only receipt lets you delete your contribution; a small local preference reduces repeat invitations. Nothing is submitted from the forecast research panel until you open it. Individual records are retained for up to 12 months, with only anonymised summaries intended for publication. Read the project information and withdrawal details before taking part.
The working research database is cleaned daily. Restricted disaster-recovery backups expire on the hosting provider's backup cycle and are not used for analysis. If a backup is restored, withdrawals and retention limits must be reapplied before the data is used.
In the app, simply reading a forecast or opening the research menu sends no research event. Choosing a research topic records an invitation; submitted answers and limited questionnaire interactions are then recorded as explained in the project information. Research responses are not linked to your push token or installation identifier, and are not used for advertising tracking. Our hosting provider processes them on our behalf. A session-only receipt supports deletion; closing the app or clearing its data may lose that receipt, after which we cannot reliably find a contribution by name or email. You can hide research links beneath forecasts without affecting the app.
Service providers and links
Firebase Cloud Messaging is used to deliver app notifications. Mountain Weather also links to or displays information from forecast and accommodation services. Accommodation links may be affiliate links, and the relevant partner may process information when you follow a link or make a booking. Those providers apply their own privacy terms.
External booking providers and affiliate networks, including Awin where used, may set cookies or record referrals after you follow their links. Their privacy notices and cookie choices apply on those services. External images and fonts can also require your browser to contact their providers, which receive technical information such as your IP address. Enquiries are handled through our hosting and email providers; search details are shared with the services needed to return accommodation results.
Retention and your rights
Server logs are kept only as long as reasonably needed for security and operations. Watch data is retained while it is needed to operate the watch and for a limited period afterwards for reliability, security and fault diagnosis. Under UK data-protection law you may have rights to access, correct, erase or restrict use of your personal information, and to object or complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Enquiry correspondence is kept for responding to your request and any resulting service relationship. Feedback is kept while useful for checking and improving forecasts; unnecessary personal details can be removed without discarding the weather observation. You can contact us to ask about or request deletion of information you have supplied.
Contact
For privacy questions or requests, email simon@mountainweather.co.uk or use the details on our contact page.