Originally Posted by
Sailor
It is interesting how manners, laws and cultures change from country to county. We have a law called 'allemensrätten/jokamiehenoikeus' ('every man's right') saying the landowner cannot prevent people from walking/cycling/riding with a horse (lol) through his property or lands as long as they do not disturb anyone or harm the nature be it private road or not. Imho that is very useful and good law. However using motor vehicles can be prevented if the landowner says so.
The law comes from 1100th century. During famines the landowners tried to prevent starving people from hunting in their lands, but the king gave the orders of this every man's right, granting people the right to do so and such law has been here ever since. There are many limitations in this law these days but still the landowner cannot stop people from walking through his lands.
There's a recent example. There's are private road going at the neighborhood. Recently a house at the end of the road got a new owner and the man tried to stop kids from walking to school by this road. There was a hell of a yelling so pretty soon all folks here started to walk this road. The yealling got worse so someone called the cops and they gave the man a serious conversation and took him to calm down for few hours. Also at some point the poor bastard had yelled something about his rifle so police took his rifle away and now he has to learn to live without any probably for the rest of his days. That was very wrong way to start a decent naighborhood. Now he has no much friends here, but still lot of folks walking the road that goes through his land. Much more folks these days than before this new owner :D
From Wikipedia:
In Finland, the freedom to roam and related rights are called "jokamiehenoikeus" in Finnish and "allemansrätten" in Swedish, literally translated as "every man's rights", similar to other Nordic countries.
Everyone may walk, ski or cycle freely in the countryside where this does not harm the natural environment or the landowner, except in gardens or in the immediate vicinity of people's homes (yards). Fields and plantations, which may easily be harmed, may usually not be crossed except in the winter.
One may stay or set up camp temporarily in the countryside, a reasonable distance from homes, pick mineral samples, wild berries, mushrooms and flowers (as long as they are not protected species). One may fish with a rod and line (only still waters), row, sail or use a motorboat on waterways (with certain restrictions), and swim or bathe in both inland waters and the sea. One can walk, ski and ice fish on frozen lakes, rivers and the sea. Income from selling picked berries or mushrooms is tax-free. Picking cloudberry may be temporarily restricted in parts of Lapland.
One may not disturb others or damage property, disturb breeding birds (or their nests or young), or disturb reindeer or game animals. One may not cut down or damage living trees, or collect wood, moss or lichen on other people's property, nor may one light open fires without the landowner's permission (except in an emergency). It is acceptable, however, to use an alcohol burner, wood stove or similar device that has no hot parts touching the ground. One may not disturb the privacy of people's homes by camping too near to them or making too much noise, nor litter, drive motor vehicles off road without the landowner's permission, or fish or hunt without the relevant permits.[2] In the autonomous province of Åland the right to camp is not recognized.[3]
The right is a positive right in the respect that only the government is allowed to restrict it as in the case of strict nature reserves. However, the exact definition remains mostly uncodified and based on the principle of nulla poena sine lege (what is not illegal cannot be punished)
