The Right of Public Access

The Right of Public Access

Do not disturb – Do not damage! Sweden’s wonderful natural environment is open to us all. We can enjoy the scents, birdsong, flowering meadows and the quiet tranquillity of the forest. However, we must treat nature with care and show consideration for other people and animals.

Privacy

Walking, jogging, horse riding and skiing across someone else’s land is permitted – provided you do not damage crops, forest plantations or similar. However, you must not cross or remain on private land without permission; this constitutes a breach of privacy. The plot, which is not always fenced off, is the area closest to the dwelling. Residents have the right to be left in peace there – the ‘privacy zone’. If the house is shielded from view, you may pass quite close by, but preferably no closer than 10 metres.

Camping

Pitching a tent for a day or two is permitted on land not used for agriculture and situated some distance from residential properties. The closer to inhabited houses you wish to camp and the greater the risk that you may disturb someone, the more reason there is to ask the landowner for permission. How long you can camp depends on the circumstances. Right outside a property, it is highly inappropriate to camp even for one night without permission. Different rules apply in some cases to caravans.

Travelling in forests and countryside

It is prohibited to drive cars, motorbikes, mopeds and other motor vehicles off-road or on roads closed to motor traffic. Such roads may be marked with the sign ‘No motorised vehicles’ or ‘Private road’.  You may park immediately beside the road. Please ensure you park your car and caravan so that they do not obstruct access or pose a danger to traffic.

If you are riding across someone else’s land, you must be very careful. There is a high risk of damage to the land. Do not ride on marked exercise tracks and hiking trails or in other places where you may cause a disturbance. The same applies to cycling. You may pass through fenced-in areas provided you do not damage the fencing. You must close gates properly so that livestock cannot escape. Naturally, you must not climb over fences onto private property.

Eldning

Att göra upp eld är tillåtet bara om det inte är minsta fara för brand. Vid torka kan allmänt eldningsförbud gälla. Släck ordentligt innan du lämnar platsen. Du kan bli dömd till skadestånd om elden sprider sig.

Elda aldrig direkt på klipphällar. De spricker och det ger fula sår i naturen.   INFORMATION at the Dalsland Nordmarken Lake district

Swimming and Boating

You are permitted to swim, moor your boat for a day or two, and go ashore anywhere, except on private land or where an authority has specifically prohibited access, for example to protect wildlife. How long you may stay depends on the situation. The same rules apply here as for camping. Rowing, sailing, canoeing or motoring on someone else’s waters is permitted. Please note that there may be specific restrictions, such as speed limits, access bans or bans on water skiing.

Garbage & DANO container – Take your rubbish with you 

If you have been camping or picnicking in the countryside, you must clear up after yourself. Never leave rubbish bags next to a full bin or rubbish bag. Wild animals will tear them open and drag the rubbish out. Glass, tins and bottle caps can injure both people and animals, whilst plastic bags can cause great suffering if animals swallow them. Find more information at Danos side about garbage and container

Picking flowers and berries

You must not take twigs, branches, bark, leaves, acorns, nuts or sap from living trees. This is considered vandalism or theft. Naturally, you must not fell living trees and bushes. You may pick wild berries and flowers, mushrooms, fallen branches and dry brush on the ground. Some flowers are so rare that there is a risk of them becoming extinct. Such flowers are protected and must not be picked. Find out, for example from the County Administrative Board, which plants are protected in the area where you are.

Keep your dog on a lead

You may take your dog into the countryside, but between 1 March and 20 August it must not be allowed to run free in woods and fields. At other times of the year, you must keep your dog under such supervision that it cannot cause harm.

Do not disturb – Do not destroy! This is the main rule of the right of public access. Read more at www.naturvardsverket.se

This is allowed https://visitsweden.com/about-the-right-of-public-access/

DANO Information Leaflet