Gordin Warner <gwarner2_at_shaw.ca> wrote: > I can't imagine >what it must be like paddling in Europe where every square inch of soil is >part of some lucky sots personal fiefdom. I suppose you have to sneak >ashore just after dusk and leave just before dawn to avoid the authorities. Hi Gordon, Not sure about all of Europe, but I know from kayak touring experience in Norway (and I believe the rest of Scandanavia) there's a law dating from Viking times, still in effect, that you can land and camp on private land. The rule is you can't be visible from the landowner's house. I'm not sure if there's a time limit - we never did more than overnight. And I'm not sure if there are fires are restricted in such situations - we always used a stove and practised minimum impact/ no trace camping anyway. Britian also has what are called "right to roam" laws, which give ramblers (hikers) the right to pass through private land in some circumstances. These laws are causing some problems for farmers, who feel they may be held liable for accidents experienced by uninvited guests. I'm not sure what, if any, benefits these "right to roam" laws offer kayakers. Here in Canada, the private property line ends at "higher high tide." (There are a few exceptions for oyster farms and other commerical uses.) This isn't much help for camping except at neap tides, but it's handy for lunch stops and leg stretching. I restrict relief to using my in-boat pee bottle in such situations - no point in offending people for no reason. I have had one or two disscussions with landowners over the years, doing my best to be as polite but firm as possible. Some are surprized to find they don't own the beach. Others don't care: there are reports of an owner of an island in the Gulfs using a private security guard thug and a dog to run boaters off the public crown foreshore. Should this ever happen to me, I'll be following up with whatever criminal charges and civil actions may be applicable. We gotta draw a line in the sand - at the higher high tide line! Cheers, Philip *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Feb 02 2005 - 12:01:12 PST
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