Sweden prides itself on its natural beauty. As it should. With that pride comes Allemansrätten. Literally it translates to “everyman’s right.” A better definition though comes from Naturvårdsverket, the government environmental agency.

Naturvårdsverket writes: “The Right of Public Access is a unique right to roam freely in the countryside. But with the right come responsibilities – to take care of nature and wildlife and to show consideration for landowners and for other people enjoying the countryside. The Swedish EPA sums up the Right of Public Access in the phrase ‘Don’t disturb – Don’t destroy.’” The right of public access goes on to say that, “You may pitch your tent for a night or two in the countryside as long as you don’t disturb the landowner or cause damage to nature.”

With an offer like that, I couldn’t resist the urge to go camping. There are plenty of areas around Stockholm that make for great camping. There are boats that go out to the archipelago on a regular basis so you can head on out and just catch the boat back the next day. I have a car however. So I used it.

I drove about 300 km north of Stockholm to the region known as Dalarna. I was heading to a lake formed by a meteor millions of years ago called Lake Siljan. I was not disappointed.

Lake Siljan is big. Around 75 km big. Which really speaks to the size of the meteor that must have come hurtling towards the earth. Today the imprint of the meteor makes for a beautiful lake. A shimmering blue that captured the late Swedish sunlight dancing across the water. I couldn’t resist the water any longer and suddenly found myself trying to swim in northern Swedish waters in May. Despite the sun not setting until 11 in the evening, the romanticism of the water was shattered when I realized just how cold it was.

I had learned a valuable lesson, and as I lay down to sleep the sun still casting a soft glow, I couldn’t help but admire Sweden’s right to public access, Allemansrätten. Exploring the country side. Falling asleep in front of a prehistoric lake. Learning a valuable lesson about water temperature. It made for a wonderful camping experience in Sweden.

More Tips for Things to Do in Sweden

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