Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Right of Public Access
The
jokamiehenoikeus
(literally 'everyman's right') is an ancient Finnish code that gives
people the right to walk, ski or cycle anywhere they like in forests and other wilderness
areas - even across private land - as long as they behave responsibly. Canoeing, rowing
and kayaking on lakes and rivers is also unrestricted. You can rest and swim anywhere in
the Finnish countryside, and camp for one night
almost
anywhere. Travel by motorboat or
snowmobile, though, is heavily restricted.
Watch out for stricter regulations regarding access in nature reserves and national parks
where access might be confined to marked paths.
FOREST FOOD
Except in strict nature reserves, it's permissible to pick berries and mushrooms - but not
other kinds of plants - under Finland's right of public access. Finns do so with gusto,
filling pails with blueberries, which come into season in late July, and delicious little wild
strawberries. But there are more. Bearberries, cowberries (lingonberries), crowberries,
cranberries, whortleberries and more are there to look out for. But the prize is the cloud-
berry, so appreciated by Finns that you may not have a chance to sample this orange,
slightly sour, creamy berry in the wild. Edible mushrooms are numerous in Finnish
forests, as are poisonous ones; make sure you have a mushroom guide or know your
stuff.
Camping
Everyman's right allows you to rest and camp temporarily in the countryside without per-
mission, even on private property as long as you don't do so near homes. Try to camp on
already-used sites to preserve the environment. Camping is not permitted in town parks or
on beaches, and in national parks and reserves it may be restricted to certain designated
areas.
Under the right of public access, you cannot make a campfire on private land unless you
have the owner's permission. In national parks, look for a designated campfire area
(nuo-
tiopaikka),
and watch for fire warning signs -
metsäpalovaroitus
means the fire risk is