SCANDINAVIA
Remember - links to sites outside this one are in
green. Although all care is taken, no responsibility can be accepted for content of any outside link.Scandinavia constists of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Iceland is also part of Scandinavia; however as no horses whatsoever are permitted to be imported, including it would be irrelevant and misleading in the context of this website.
DENMARK
MAP of Denmark.
The website of a Riding route in North Jutland gives details ( Danish only) of a 175km riding route around the very tip of the northernmost part of Denmark. This part of North Jutland is often known as the Land of Light. The route passes through or near Hirtshals, Skagen, Frederikshavn, Sindal and Hjørring. From plantations on the dunes, you can ride along marked routes through the dunes down to the beach. This is a lovely trip for both horse & rider, and unusual in the amount of access permitted to dunes and beaches. The site also gives details of some shorter routes, of accommodation for horse and rider, maps, useful links and information about general rules of riding - eg rules of the road - in Denmark.
The state forests are popular places to ride, as you may ride on all roads that are more than 2.5 metres wide as well as on signposted riding paths. On public highways you must ride in single file on the right-hand side of the road. Riding is not normally permitted in dunes and on beaches, although there are exceptions – for example, you can ride on beaches where cars are allowed to be driven, and there may be more access permitted to beaches in the winter months.
FINLAND
Finland offers, as is generally the case in the three northern Scandanavian countries, open access to a great deal of land, paths and tracks - with of course the proviso of responsible use. Some National Parks, however, restrict access to marked paths only. There are several marked trails of different lengths which can be equally well utilised by the walker, the horseman and the mountain biker.
North-eastern Finland, specifically the Oulanka National Park, is a favourite territory for long distance rides. This region, just to the south of the Arctic Circle and close to the Russian border, includes rugged ridges and river valleys, rapids and canyons, and thick forests and marshlands, and there’s a good chance of spotting wildlife, including deer and birds. This is the location of the Bears’ Ring trail, but only very rarely will you see the reclusive creatures after which it is named. On horseback, however, you’ll get the closest views of wildlife and experience some of Finland’s most spectacular scenery. .
There are very few routes specifically for riders in Finland. Most of the routes used for riding are paths, field and forest roads or other cross-country routes. These are usually in forests, sometimes in wilderness. In Lapland, the routes are mountain routes. Usually there is no problem with terrain on these tracks. The many huts and refuges are open for use by riders as well as hikers, but the paucity of forage in the forests means that riders usually need to organise "food drops" for their horses if they are planning to travel away from towns or villages for more than a few days.
NORWAY
Outside populated areas, riders may use any paths in Norway. Naturally they are expected to respect people's privacy, livestock and cultivated areas, but otherwise they are free to go (almost) where they wish. Good maps are essential as mountains, moors and bogs present dangers when riders leave clearly-marked tracks. Norway is, of course, a difficult country for a linear ride as there are mountains, fjords, ferries and tunnels which block one's passage.
The Pilgrim's Route or King's Road between Oslo and Trondheim (formerly Nidaros) has been travelled since the early Norwegian Iron Age and is still ridden ( and walked) today.
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