In Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and several other countries, the public has a right to walk and camp on much land, even private land, without asking the owner. The right covers recreation and exercise on land, lakes and rivers, and in Northern Europe it is so old that it was not written into law until modern times. It has limits: it generally excludes substantial economic uses such as hunting or logging, and disruptive acts such as lighting fires or driving off-road. Elsewhere, access usually depends on a network of formal rights of way or designated reserves with footpaths. The contrast shows how differently countries define who owns the outdoors.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.