This Is South West

& SouthWestofEngland.com

Editorial Standards & Policies

Last Updated: 3rd October 2025

We’re a small Somerset-based team running ThisIsSouthWest.com because we love where we live. Most guides come from first-hand visits, long walks, and chats with locals. Here’s how we work, how to reach us, and how we fix things when we get them wrong.

1) Our publishing principles (how we make guides)

Local & on-the-ground

  • We prioritise places we’ve actually visited.
  • If we haven’t been yet, we’ll say so and cite sources.

Practical and accurate

  • We verify key information (opening times, prices, access, and transport) against the operators’ websites, noticeboards, or a quick phone call.
  • We strongly recommend that readers double-check the details directly before planning any visit or event, as they can change at short notice (weather, tides, seasonal schedules, and maintenance).

Independent

  • Editorial choices aren’t for sale. We don’t take payment for positive coverage or guaranteed inclusion.

Clear about money

  • Some links are affiliate links. If you book via them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep the lights on.
  • Free/discounted access, if accepted, is always disclosed and does not guarantee coverage.

Safety & respect

  • We include safety notes (tides, cliffs, weather, closures) when they matter.
  • We encourage Leave No Trace practices, respect for wildlife, and adherence to all local bylaws.

Accessibility where we can

  • We note step-free routes, parking, toilets, surfaces, and gradients when we’ve checked them.

Photos & visuals

  • Most images are ours; light edits only (crop/exposure). If we use supplied or stock images, we will clearly indicate this.
  • We don’t use AI-generated destination imagery.

Updates

  • Useful pages get regular sweeps. The last update will be indicated by a “Modified Date”.

2) Actionable feedback policy

Spotted a change on the ground? We’d genuinely love to hear it.

Email: mail@thisissouthwest.com with as much information:

  • The page URL + screenshot/quoted line
  • What’s wrong / what to add
  • Evidence (link to official source, photo of sign/menu/timetable)
  • Optional: your connection (local, business owner, ranger, etc.)

What we prioritise

  1. Safety-critical (landslips, closures, tides, access)
  2. Time-sensitive (prices, opening/season dates, buses/trams)
  3. Accessibility info
  4. Map/wayfinding fixes

What happens next

  • We verify, update, and (if appropriate) add a small credit: “Hat tip: a local in Branscombe.”
  • For urgent safety issues, please include ‘URGENT’ in the subject line.

We don’t publish your contact details and only retain your email address long enough to process the change.

3) Corrections policy

If we make a mistake, we correct it promptly.

  • Correction – We made a factual error. We amend the text and date-stamp significant corrections and updates so readers know what changed and when. Minor edits (typos/formatting) aren’t labelled.
  • Clarification – Wording was muddy. We make it clearer and date-stamp significant corrections and updates so readers know what changed and when. Minor edits (typos/formatting) aren’t labelled.
  • Update – New info (e.g., new timetable). We update the text and date-stamp significant corrections and updates so readers know what changed and when. Minor edits (typos/formatting) aren’t labelled.

How to request a correction
Email mail@thisissouthwest.com with the URL, exact passage, and the correct information, including the source. If we repeat the error on social media, we’ll do our best to correct it there as well.

4) Ethics policy

Independence & conflicts

  • We don’t accept anything that would skew coverage. If there’s a potential conflict, we disclose or step back.

Press trips, gifts & comps

  • We rarely take them. If we do, we keep full editorial control and disclose it. No guaranteed coverage, ever.

Affiliates

  • Affiliate status never decides what we include or recommend. If the best link is a non-affiliate official site, that’s what we use.

Responsible travel

  • We won’t encourage illegal access, fossil/rock removal, wildlife disturbance, or risky routes without clear warnings.

Language & inclusion

  • We aim for welcoming, plain-English guides that respect the people who live here.

Kids & privacy

  • No personal details about minors.

Use of AI

  • We may utilise AI for administrative tasks (such as spelling/structure), but trip reports, routes, and final edits are human-led and based on real visits or verified sources. We don’t publish unvetted AI destination reviews.

Talk to us

We’re small, so we won’t win any speed awards – but we do read everything, we care deeply about getting it right, and your notes genuinely help other travellers (and locals).

Thank you.