
Photo by Alex Conu/Visitnorway.com
Norway’s freedom to roam rights make it easy to find a place to camp on a long-distance bike trip.
By Jen Sotolongo
May 9, 2018
Photo by Gustaf Emanuelsson/Folio/imagebank.sweden.se
Two friends camp on a lake shore in southern Sweden, enjoying the rights of allemansrätten.
In some countries, you’re welcome to roam wherever you want. On an extended bike tour, one writer experienced the ins and outs of exercising that freedom. Here’s what she learned.
Sweden is so proud of the fact that its natural lands are accessible to everyone that the Swedish tourism board famously listed the entire country on Airbnb in 2017. Gorgeous photos of river banks, forest glens, and rocky beaches beckoned users to experience the countryside for free. This was no April Fool’s joke. It was (and is—the page is still active) a way of letting travelers know that they can camp, graze, sleep, and venture pretty much anywhere in the country that catches their eye. And it’s all completely free of charge thanks to a freedom granted by the Constitution of Sweden called allemansrӓtten, or “everyman’s right.”
While Sweden’s Airbnb campaign helped introduce the idea to the world at large, allemansrätten is not a new concept. A number of other European countries, including Scotland, Norway, and Estonia, observe similar rights. In some places these rights are seen as essential and basic; in other places they’re protected by law. So the concept permits everyone, whether resident or visitor, the broad right to use public and private land. In exchange for this “freedom to roam,” the users must respect the land and landowner and follow leave no trace principles.
A few years ago, I kicked off an eight-month European cycle tour with my husband and our dog in Oslo, Norway. We gladly accepted the country’s offer to sleep in almost any spot of our choosing. As newbies to “wild camping” (camping somewhere that is not a designated camp ground) and coming from the United States where fences, no trespassing signs, and designated boundaries clearly state that “this land is my land,” the concept felt outlandish at first.By the time we crossed the border into Sweden, we had become allemansrӓtten pros, camping in spaces just like the landscapes featured in the Airbnb listing for the country.
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In these notoriously expensive countries, exercising our rights to use the land saved us hundreds of dollars, but more importantly, it allowed us to forge a connection with the people and the surrounding nature. Rather than hole up in a hotel room, we exposed ourselves to conversations with locals when we asked about where to camp or eat, which usually led to deeper discussions.
A fundamental freedomThe freedom to roam is most widely recognized in the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, and with modified rules in Scotland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Czech Republic, and Switzerland. Although the names and specifics vary by country, the concept is the same:
Economic pursuits—such as hunting, logging, or selling foraged goods—and activities that may destroy the land, like fires, are usually not allowed. Use of a propane stove, however, is permissible, and we took advantage of that allowance to cook the produce we purchased from local markets each day. Finally, the user may not disturb or damage wildlife or crops and is expected to pick up all trash, leaving the area in better condition than it was found.
In essence, everyman’s right assumes that outdoor recreational activities are permitted wherever they are not explicitly implied; in most other countries, the opposite holds true.
Since each country allows different rights, it’s a good idea to look into those rights before plunking down on someone’s land—and when in doubt, ask! We often found ourselves wondering whether the picturesque waterfront campsites we eyed on private property throughout Sweden were fair game. We never set up camp until we knocked on doors or found other locals to ask. And sometimes, they would point us toward even more beautiful and secluded locations.Sign up for the Daily Wander newsletter for expert travel inspiration and tips
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