He wrote, ‘Friluftsliv literally translates as “open air life”, and encompasses more than our concept of the great outdoors.

Whereas the great outdoors has always struck me as being a place to be explored, appreciated, enjoyed and protected, friluftsliv is about a lifestyle (or perhaps a philosophy even) that also includes other aspects such as the mental and physical health benefits of being in the great outdoors, access rights, respect for and ensuring the well-being of nature and maintaining a bond with the natural environment.

I would be happy to share my experiences and insights if that could be of interest.’

Never one to turn down the opportunity to get someone else to do my work, I took James up on his offer and asked him to tell us more.

He has kindly written this (lightly edited), which I think really points towards a better way for Britain to engage with nature and the outdoors. Thank you very much, James!

Interest in the outdoors is much wider in Norway compared to the UK. You didn’t have to join a special club or have gone to a particular school or to have grown up in a certain place to meet others who like being in the outdoors. Almost everyone does. If anything, the outdoors was about bringing people together from across society.

After a spell in London focusing on my career and missing the outdoors, I decided to take the plunge and move to Norway to be able to spend more time in the outdoors with people who shared this passion. For me at least, this provided the answer to your equation: adventure + purpose = friluftsliv.

So, what is friluftsliv? I’ve been discussing your friluftsliv and culture question with my wife and some colleagues (all Norwegians) to get their perspectives on the topic. The consensus is that friluftsliv is an important part of the culture here for most people. My wife laughed when I asked her your question about “normal” people’s attitude to friluftsliv versus what outdoorsy folk think.

Instead of talking about “normal” people and “outdoorsy” folk, I would say that it is more relevant to think about a scale of friluftsliv (or perhaps a friluftsliv-spectrum). At one end you would have people who would take part in low threshold activities like a Sunday walk in nature near where they live or going berry picking. The other extreme would be the people looking to climb the highest, toughest mountains and other such adventures.

What links the wide variety of opportunities across the scale is a shared connection with nature that revolves around doing a fulfilling activity in nature, getting exercise and fresh air and seeing and appreciating nature, and sharing the experience with others.

The activity can be anything that you want it to be, as long as it is something that motivates you and leaves you feeling good. An important aspect is spending quality time with others, free from everyday distractions and stresses.

A few examples can illustrate this. My colleague Frank talked about going for an annual fishing trip with his grown-up daughter. They drive up to Hardangervidda, hike to a lake and sleep out under the stars for two or three nights. It doesn’t matter if they catch fish or not, the important thing is the time spent together away from everyday life.

Two other colleagues, who don’t normally socialise together outside of work, go mushroom picking in the forest together every autumn. One of them doesn’t really like eating mushrooms and gives all the ones she finds to her colleague.

You can watch Martin Compston finding out about friluftsliv in his recent series Martin Compston’s Norwegian fling on BBC iPlayer. The rest of the series provide an entertaining introduction to the country if you’re curious to learn more (I should come with a disclaimer here: I’m in episode two).

A relevant question is, where does this culture come from?

The simple answer is that it starts when they are young. Being in nature is very often connected to family, friends, growing up and the cabin (hytte). Most Norwegians have access to a cabin, either via family or friends, work or DNT.

The cabin is a gathering place for all generations of the family. Traditional cabins are small, have no running water or electricity and an outside toilet. They serve as a base for a variety of outdoor activities, from cross country skiing in the winter to walking, fishing, swimming and berry picking the rest of the year. Maintenance of the cabin is an important activity in itself, and for many people there always has to be a project on the go, whether it be painting the cabin or installing solar panels. Even people who work in offices get involved in doing something practical.

Most people would have the basic equipment you would need for the outdoors: a rucksack, a waterproof jacket, a thick wool sweater and a sensible pair of shoes. These would often be hand-me-downs from the family, especially with things like cross country skis and ski boots.

Holidays and free time are often spent at the cabin. My wife has fond memories of going for long walks and coming back to the cabin to find her granny waiting with a hot meal ready. The whole family would then play card or board games together in the evening by candlelight.

Cabins do not have to be family owned. Many employers have cabins for their employees to use, cabins can be rented and DNT has over 500 cabins nationally that anyone can use. Most of these are linked by a network or marked footpaths, making cabin-to-cabin ski trips a popular activity.

Two other important cultural influences come through clubs and societies and the media. Norway’s largest volunteer organisation is DNT and something like 10% of the whole population are members. As well as offering guided trips to those who don’t feel confident enough to embark on hikes in remote areas themselves, they also work locally to encourage and help people to go out in nature. One of DNT’s goals is that everyone should have access to a walking trail close to where they live.

I should also mention that friluftsliv is so important here, that all the political parties mention it in their manifestos. Politicians also like to be photographed and filmed in nature.

As is the case everywhere, culture is changing here. In terms of friluftsliv, I think that two trends are most relevant: the effect of wealth and changing expectations; and immigration. Industrialisation and urbanisation came late to Norway, so many people have a closer bond to the countryside than in the UK as they still have relatives living in rural areas. Thanks to the oil and gas industry, Norway changed quite rapidly from being a relatively poor country at the periphery of Europe to being a wealthy country with a high standard of living. This increased wealth has led to a change in expectations (an example of the shifting baseline syndrome you have written about). The gear fetish has taken off in some quarters, with many wanting to buy the latest gear for the latest outdoor trend. The cabin culture is changing as well, with more and more people wanting to own their own cabins with all mod cons, leading to what are in effect modern housing developments being built in pristine nature in the mountains.

There are attempts to counter the gear fetish by encouraging repairing and using second hand gear, as well as initiatives that loan outdoor equipment out to people that don’t have it. Organisations like DNT and Naturvernforbundet (Friends of the Earth Norway) work to try and stop large commercial developments in undisturbed nature.

The second trend within cultural change is immigration. This is a more recent phenomenon in Norway and the country has a positive attitude towards it. Many immigrants and their offspring do not have the same cultural connections with frilluftsliv as Norwegians do. The politician and former government minister Abid Raja provides a good illustration of this. Born in Oslo of Pakistani parents, he has talked a lot about the importance of friluftsliv and how he had to learn all about it himself as he didn’t grow up with it as a child of immigrants. DNT and other organisations use a lot of effort to try and encourage immigrants and their families to experience friluftsliv. The local branch of DNT in Bergen (where I live) have a winter sports day every year where they provide a free bus, equipment and guides/instructors for foreign born residents of the city to spend a day trying out different winter sports at a local ski resort. They also arrange trips to cabins and hikes in the forests and mountains around the city where non-Norwegians can meet Norwegians, get introduced to frilutfsliv and learn and practice their Norwegian.

Raja and the DNT initiatives provide interesting examples of how to approach the issue of nature disconnection that you have highlighted.

Friluftsliv is an important part of culture/society over here, strengthened by the right to roam, and Norwegians have a close link with and appreciation of nature and the outdoors that cuts across boundaries in society and is much more widespread than in the UK. You can even take a bachelor’s degree in friluftsliv here!

I can safely say that friluftsliv and the general quality of life in Norway are the main reasons I moved here from the UK over 20 years ago.