BIKEPACKING & WILD CAMPING in NORWAY Pt.1: Rules and Responsibilities

Wild camping while Bikepacking/Bike touring is a good way to keep costs down and enjoy the nature around you. Norway is one of the best countries in the world to wild camp but there’s a lot of rules you need to know and understand. In popular places, rules are being tightened, and there are many places you should not wild camp. Follow the rules set out in this video, use your common sense at times, and you’ll find many places to spend a comfortable night before you jump back on your bike and continue with your journey.

00:00 – Intro to Wild Camping in Norway
01:32 – Allemannsretten – Right to Roam
02:14 – The Basic Rules
04:20 – Where you Can’t Camp
05:42 – Campfires
06:17 – Four Scenarios
09:54 – Wild Animals
11:38 – Wild Food
12:04 – Hazards & Dangers
12:40 – Official Camp Sites
13:12 – Ignorance is not Bliss
14:58 – Final Remarks

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and that’s where i camped last night just down there a little beach secret little beach and here’s the road and there she is all ready to rock it [Music] [Applause] [Music] wild camping the ultimate freedom to go off and to sleep in nature without paying a dime and there are a few places on the planet that rival norway for this opportunity with over 200 000 islands the third longest coastline in the world over a third of the country covered in forest and just two percent of the land developed on that’s bigger than germany by the way it’s an adventure playground for adults but this playground you must tread lightly on if you’re traveling by bike and you’ll be mainly sticking to the road areas then there’s a lot to take into consideration and understand therefore this video will explain the do’s and don’ts of wild camping we’ll talk about the possible misunderstandings of certain rules and i’ll give you real examples that will help you better understand your rights and responsibilities and remember you have the time dividers at the bottom if required since 1957 all amanda zurettaman has been part of the outdoor recreational act here in norway it’s an ancient tradition that ensures that everybody no matter their economic status has the opportunity to experience nature and camp under the stars even on largely privately owned land however this act only works if people follow the rules and show respect to one another and of course the natural world around them number one you may put up your tent for a night anywhere in open country which is not cultivated or fenced off however you must keep at least 150 metres away from the nearest inhabited building such as a house or a cabin number two if you want to stay for more than two nights in the same place you must ask the landowner’s permission except in very remote areas where there’s no one around to be concerned about number three keep your noise to a minimum number four leave no trace in the vegetation or the terrain leave no trace of course take all your rubbish with you if available use public toilets if not dig a hole and cover it in afterwards take all toilet paper with you in a plastic bag don’t leave it in the hole or under a stone number seven don’t disturb animals and bird life especially during breeding season same goes for livestock on pastures and remember to close all gates after you and i have a rule that if i’m close to human settlement i try to be out of sight out of sight out of mine that’s my rule those that have their livelihood in rural settings that you want to camp in such as cabin owners and farmers remember they have priority you’re just a guest in their area if they tell you to move on it’s better just to move on don’t pull out the rule book and start to argue of course there’s nothing wrong with you politely explaining your situation and trying to come to some compromise [Music] number one land used to grow crops or plow fields number two meadows number three pastures usually with livestock but not always the case number four gardens and this can mean any sort of land that has been modified from its natural setting number five areas of uncultivated land surrounded by cultivated land is not considered open country so imagine you have three farms and then in the middle there’s a small patch of uncultivated land you can’t really camp there okay number six all reservoirs and some nature reserves you will see signs erected in these places telling you what is prohibited number seven you may find some local residents have put up their own makeshift signs preventing people from camping in their area they’ve probably got sick and tired of disrespectful campers and have taken matters into their own hands in this case obey the sign and find somewhere else or you risk confrontation with locals [Music] number eight extremely popular tourist destinations if you visit popular tourist spots while camping and the right to roam is usually prohibited we’ll talk more about that shortly [Music] campfires in or near forests are prohibited from the 15th of april to the 15th of september basically in norway you’re gonna find forests all over the country therefore in the summer it’s not advised to make a fire unless you’re in a designated camping spot the damage that campfires do to the vegetation is not a welcome sight do you want to see burnt patches all over the countryside you can read more about the rules on campfires through the link below okay let’s look at four scenarios i’ve been in to give you kind of a more or better understanding of each of these situations obviously the mountain areas are one of the best places to camp remote few people about and plenty of drinkable water the downsides are it can be very cold especially at night and the weather patterns can change quickly you must also take care with plants and vegetation as they are more fragile this high up this place was perfect for the night i’m about 80 meters from the main road but hidden by the bank to the left of me there’s one cabin in the distance around 200 meters away i checked and no one is there it’s 11 in the evening and i’ll be gone at seven in the morning if there was people in the cabin and they saw me as i passed by i’d probably say hello and let them know my intentions if you want to know how i find locations like this just click the link above so after doing a little bit of investigating ah this is why you wanna right right so you can take your bike over here i found a camping truck down here take it easy finding a suitable camping spot in the forest areas close to the road is harder than you think there is usually very little open space that hides you from the road the land is also very uneven with lots of vegetation it can take time to find the right spot and you should always have a backup plan if required i found this beach using google satellite images it’s 11 at night and i’ll be gone by eight in the morning once again there is a small unoccupied cabin in the distance and behind that there is a house which is occupied i’m out of sight well over 150 meters away not causing any problems for anyone and will be gone by the morning with no trace a successful night’s rest in a beautiful place i try not to wild camp in the countryside close to villages this is a unique situation where the road i’m cycling on now climbs up to a thousand meters i don’t have the legs to do it right now and need to rest for seven to eight hours i find a patch of uncultivated land not in use in between three farms now technically you could argue i shouldn’t be camping here but let’s look at this situation there’s no tourists there’s no other people doing the same thing i’m on my own with a bike it’s 11 at night i’m out of sight i just need to lie down and recover from a long day in the saddle i left with no trace at seven in the morning is there a problem what do you think if a farmer did approach me i would explain my situation and i just can’t imagine them forcing me to leave [Music] here is where people don’t have sympathy and rightly so last year lufferton was overwhelmed with wild campers not following rules this is not me but a local posting footage of several people camping close to their property would you want people camping and [ __ ] close to your house all through the summer while camping in popular tourist areas is a no-go you must camp at designated camping sites don’t be a dick for start off there are polar bears but they’re in svalbard which is an island really far enough and there you should not consider wild camping but on the mainland the vast majority of animals in norway don’t pose any danger to humans providing you stick to some simple rules there are brown bears in the very remote areas of the far north and there are elk all over the forest areas animals like these obviously command respect nevertheless you’ll find that if you keep your distance especially if they have offspring then they’ll simply either run away or they won’t bother you the biggest danger is posed by moose elk and deer wandering out into the road without any warning if you’re driving or cycling remain vigilant for animals emerging from the trees [Music] in the summer mosquitoes and midges will be about especially in the forest areas and around lakes they can be extremely annoying bring repellent cover your skin in the evening if you’re camping in a forest check your tents for ticks before you sleep and try not to walk through dense woodland where you may unintentionally pick them up if you intentionally litter then there is a trained team of eagle owls that will attack you and claw your eyeballs out i will look for you i will find you and i will kill you it’s a good thing i found these mushrooms i was [ __ ] starving know what is edible and what is not in general you may pick berries mushrooms and wildflowers but special rules apply to cloudberries in much of northern norway if in doubt leave it landslides and rock falls can occur by the sea and fjords avalanches in the mountains and wildfires in the forest areas look out for warning signs and take them into consideration when choosing your tent location norway is one of the safest places for solo women travellers you shouldn’t feel concerned traveling and camping in norway on your own always use your common sense and of course take necessary precautions required there are hundreds of campsites all over the country that operate from april may to september usually a simple search on google maps will bring up the ones in your area many are signposted you’re never too far from a campsite in norway the cost for one person and one tenth is between 10 up to 25 euros depending on the location and the facilities note showers are not always included [Music] if i put my tent up on the viewing platform of niagara falls or outside the taj mahal and posted it on social media what would you think every year people post pictures of their tent in some of noah’s most iconic natural settings this is norway’s taj mahal but many people from around the world don’t know that and they think wow what a cool place to camp this is noah’s pyramids of giza there is nothing cool or impressive about this all you’re doing is setting a bad example and encouraging others to do the same each day thousands of people visit these sites in the summer they are under constant pressure from erosion litter human waste you name it and camping is strictly prohibited for good reasons if a growing number of ignorant people inspired by social media posts ignore the rules to get that photo they think is special then authorities have no option but to restrict everyone’s freedoms we all have a responsibility to each other if our actions explicitly impede or cause problems to other people or the land we are on then quite simply we are being a and there’s a good chance you’re gonna have your eyes clawed out by jenny the eagle owl isn’t that right jenny i will look for you i will find you and i will kill you bottom line follow the rules set out to the best you can but of course use your common sense and your own discretion in certain unique situations by watching this video you’re taking action to understand your responsibilities when while camping in norway and i thank you for that if you respect nature show courtesy to the local communities that you pass through then you’ll have an amazing time and be welcomed back it’s that simple really and i want you to remember that when you’re cycling people look at you differently and they’re going to give you a little bit more leeway and they’re going to show you a little bit extra respect and that’s going to work in your favor when wild camping so take that into consideration i wish you a safe and pleasant journey here in norway the world’s most beautiful country [Music] harder bro [Music] off oh go [Music] here’s the road ladies and gentlemen here’s the road all right in three two [Music] there she is [Music] ready for her ride [Music] let’s go