Escaping from the city and into the countryside is always a refreshing reminder of the wonderful, natural environment neighboring us. Suddenly, our world of gray, blocky buildings is replaced by acres of green fields and roaming livestock. As a visitor to the area, we need to be respectful to the farmers that call it home and the land they’re making their living off of.
But there can be friction when folks from the city come to the countryside lacking said manners. A recent story shared on Reddit brings up a memorable time that a hot-shot lawyer thought he was free to do whatever he wanted and continuously blocked a dairy farmer’s driveway, disrupting his work.
However, the farmer wasn't going to stand for it any longer, and as the old saying goes: if you mess with the bull, you get the horns. He plotted his revenge but decided that he was going to use something smellier from his cattle to get back at the lawyer...
Read on for the full story and our chat with the user behind the post too!
Image credits: pamela_d_mcadams (not the actual photo)
In Northern European countries (such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, and a few others) there exists not only great respect for the rich wilderness and nature around but an ancient and unspoken law that has only become formalized quite recently.
It’s known as the ‘Right to Roam’ in the United Kingdom, with various different names and localizations in each respective country (Allemannsretten in Norwegian). It grants locals almost complete access to their natural wilderness spaces to enjoy all it has to offer. Whether for hiking or just taking in the views, the only requirements are respecting the environment and not disrupting the local flora and fauna. This includes farmer’s land and their livestock too.
Bored Panda spoke to the user behind the post, DemolitionLady, and she told us about what life is like in some of the quieter parts of Norway. She said, "The countryside can be extremely rural. So, police and law enforcement is sort of scarce. In some places, the law is followed by more of a social construct, if that makes sense."
She also brings up the essence of Allemannsretten in the country, which she calls "really important", and explains why: "It makes it easier to spot farmers who don't take care of their part of the forest, and you never have to be afraid that you can't be in certain places."
Known for its diverse terrain of mountains, coasts, forests, and fjords, there's so much of Norway to explore. Many would just go to the capital and visit a few other tourist spots, but what does a local recommend? DemolitionLady said, "The most beautiful place I know is called Solvorn, in Luster! It's not the place where this story happened, but it's absolutely gorgeous!"
The story begins in an idyllic and rural part of the Norwegian countryside
A local farmer worked near a popular hiking spot and sometimes had issues with people parking on his land
However, there was one recurring issue with a lawyer who always blocked the farmer's driveway
The farmer decided to hatch a smelly plan to get back at the lawyer
People loved the story and thought the plan was a fitting response to the lawyer
As long as people abide by the rules, everyone is welcome to get out into the wilderness. Nick Hayes and Guy Shrubsole, from the Right To Roam campaign in the UK, describe nature as “something to be deeply immersed in, a multi-sensory tangible experience whose smells, sounds, sightings can have profound effects upon the minds of their beholders.”
And there’s plenty of research to back up the benefits of visiting nature. In a study completed by the University of Exeter, almost 20,000 people were asked about the amount of time they spent outdoors in green spaces versus their emotional and psychological wellbeing. Their results concluded that those who spent approximately 120 minutes (or two hours) per week in nature reported substantially better mental and physical effects than those who did not.
Dr. Mathew White, who led the study at the university, said, “It’s well known that getting outdoors in nature can be good for people’s health and wellbeing but until now, we’ve not been able to say how much is enough.”
He also explained some details about the study in the hopes that others can achieve this target for their own benefit. He said, “The majority of nature visits in this research took place within just two miles of home, so even visiting local urban green spaces seems to be a good thing. Two hours a week is hopefully a realistic target for many people, especially given that it can be spread over an entire week.”