How friendly is the Netherlands to vagabonds?

Question

I have a friend who likes to walk, bike, camp and exercise the freedom to be wherever she is as long as it's not disruptive of others. For her it's a spiritual need and a philosophical/political attitude. But she's well-educated, a confident conversationalist, and tends to be cooperative and genuinely understanding if she's caught doing something that breaks the local expectations.

I've personally heard many stories about North Americans visiting 'this or that' part of Europe (although not Netherlands in particular) and being shocked by how much more welcoming/sympathetic rural or suburban people are of travelers walking across or even camping on "their land" compared to North America where a strict "no trespassing" is the norm and 'unknown' people anywhere will likely get rudely unwelcomed by the police.

Is it socially acceptable or tolerated for someone to camp on someone's property in Netherlands?

Also, is she likely to find like-minded people "on the road" there?

Answer 1

There is no such thing as a 'right to roam' (as you might find in Scandinavia) in the Netherlands and camping outside campsites on public ground is not allowed. Having said that, if you get permission from the landowner anything goes. Just ring the bell on the nearest house and ask, they might send you away, they might offer you their guest room or anything in between (directing you to the nearest campsite being the most likely outcome). But you won't get into trouble for asking.

You are not allowed to be in public woodlands after sundown, but the chances of getting caught when you're just staying overnight are slim, but setting up a camp is very likely to attract attention. The fine is €140,- so make sure you can afford that.

The main thing to be aware of though, it's a small crowded country. Most of the space is actively used, so in a lot of areas you simply won't find a suitable place to camp, outside of the campsites. Woodlands are generally owned either by the state, local councils or nature preservation NGO's. If you're going of into the woods you won't have to deal with nasty owners.

Long distance walking is a fairly common thing, so nobody is going to be surprised about that. Trails exist to be used, private areas are generally marked or fenced. It's hard to go wrong by mistake.