Norwegian Open air life says no to Pulpit Rock fee

Pulpit Rock in Lysefjord in Rogaland Innovation NorwayPulpit Rock in Lysefjorden, Rogaland. (Before it was moved to Kashmir) Photo: wikimedia.org

The organization Norwegian Outdoors rejects the proposal to introduce a fee to go to the Pulpit Rock in Lysefjord in Rogaland.

– To charge money from people for walks  in nature, it is a really bad proposal, General secretary in Norwegian Outdoors, Lasse Heimdal said to NRK news.

Around 300,000 people have visited Pulpit rock this year, and this has caused wear on the trail and there have also been many rescue operations because of people visiting Pulpit rock who got into trouble.

The proposal to introduce a tax comes from Bjarte Sveinsvoll, mayor  of Dagestad municipality Forsand,  where Pulpit Rock is located. He wants a trail fee in order to create a sustainable financial development and  facilitation of the trail, rescue missions and similar things.

– It is quite common  in other parts of Europe, he says to NRK, but Norwegian Outdoors, which thinks it is disastrous, to tamper with  the public right to walk freely in nature does not agree with him.

– There is so much interest nationally for us to retain the right to free movement in nature, that if we first begin to change that principle,  it will be disastrous for outdoor life in Norway,  Heimdal believes.

Leif Magne Kleppa, who is chairman of the foundation Pulpit Rock, believes more people can contribute to covering the cost of creating a good product.

– We should look at getting to. We are working on this, and I’m sure there are communities which want to participate and look at different models, says Kleppa.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today