iceland 2008

[kevinhancock750]

doing iceland next july/august it's been a dream for a long time since seeing a documentary on tv. main questions are:-
1. insurance: where do i get it from?
2. do i need carnet?
3. do i need a visa to visit?
if anyone is interested in doing iceland about same time you'd be .
i'm thinking about spending about 1 month there just running around enjoying myself. .

[forestry]

You should be able to get insurance from any decent broker, i am off to Iceland on Wednesday and have my bike and breakdown insurance on my general policy with Bennets. If you are from the EU you will not need a carnet or Visa.

[Hustler]

There's an article here about Iceland which although a few years old
should prove of interest ===> Crossing Iceland

[kevinhancock750]

thanks for your replies.
forestry, thanks for the bennetts tip i'm insured with them normally but when i've asked something they say- your not insured to go there! so i did'nt bother asking! i'm of welsh origin so wont need the visa thanks.
hustler, thanks for the article. seen a documentary a few years back and it got me, then bought the globe riders iceland DVD and that put the final nail in!

[kevinhancock750]

got a new tent and bag in the sales and going to snowdonia to test them out next weekend at a bike meet called DRAGON never heard of it before but it's an excuse for a and to test my new stuff ready for iceland!
it's bloody killing me waiting to go! anyone going there?

[kevinhancock750]

starting my preperations now to go and have booked my crossing. want to start planning a route and what i'm looking for is a map of iceland which shows the trails of the interior and hopefully things of interest like waterfalls/hot pools etc. i notice michelin dont do these and there are so many others but without description of it's detail. any suggestions of a good one? i'm also thinking of fitting michelin desert's on arrival to iceland. do you think they will last 4 weeks of this terrain? i'll be doing mainly off road stuff and therefore will not need to carry a spare.
thanks for any help in advance.

[Flyingdoctor]

I hope you're taking the tyres with you as they'll cost a fortune over there. I have the lonely planet plastic paper map but it just gives you an overview. There are some links to garmin maps etc on the iceland forum on here. There is also a road book of trails you can get mail order. All of this is on here so I'm sure you've already read it. If not get busy!

[kevinhancock750]

will be carrying my tyres up there and changing them just before getting on the boat or when i get off. i've got the garmin map for the gps but what i'm looking for is a paper map to go on the living room floor to work out some sort of route b4 i go and also it will come in handy if the gps goes wrong.

[Fritz]

Try some of the stuff here
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ht=iceland+map
Info on maps and more

[Fritz]

Originally Posted by kevinhancock750

want to start planning a route and what i'm looking for is a map of iceland which shows the trails of the interior and hopefully things of interest like waterfalls/hot pools etc.

Kevin, the one Bev used for pre-planning was the Lascelles 1;600,000 Iceland map. Shows main interior routes - but you need the proper thing for there.

For all going this year you may be interested to know that the currency has dropped a significant amount recently.
Sorry for the locals - not good news, but will help visitor's costs as it can be hideously expensive compared to home. Luckily the scenery is free and more than worth the effort.

Enjoy.


PS I would strongly recommend the Brandt Guide to Faroe Islands (only guide and new) too for advance research - you'll get a lot more from the stop-over if you read that. Make the most of an opportunity to explore this fairly unique experience (and see if a group of you can advance book and share an appartment rather than camp...unless you are very very lucky with the weather!)

[The Biking Viking]

you can get some great detailed maps at Ferdakort - Heim

Originally Posted by kevinhancock750

will be carrying my tyres up there and changing them just before getting on the boat or when i get off. i've got the garmin map for the gps but what i'm looking for is a paper map to go on the living room floor to work out some sort of route b4 i go and also it will come in handy if the gps goes wrong.

[kevinhancock750]

thanks for the advice and links guys
i picked up a map from stanfords called ferdakort with a scale of 1:600 000
and it's showing lots of routes in the interior which i'm happy about.
doing my head in though i keep looking at it and want to go now! nevermind only 9wks and 2 days to go and i'll be on the ferry tasting the puffin pie
(other pies available)

[The Biking Viking]

Originally Posted by kevinhancock750

thanks for the advice and links guys
i picked up a map from stanfords called ferdakort with a scale of 1:600 000
and it's showing lots of routes in the interior which i'm happy about.
doing my head in though i keep looking at it and want to go now! nevermind only 9wks and 2 days to go and i'll be on the ferry tasting the puffin pie
(other pies available)

Please study the map carefully as the rivers and streams on the inland tracks are not usually bridged. I prefer the 1:250 000 scale maps as they are more detailed.
Please ride safely and enjoy the scenery.

[kevinhancock750]

done it and now back in work
had one hell of a good time there and met some great people on the way.(all on the hubb)franconian, joiben, oz and his misses who came around the corner 2 minutes after struggling to pick up my bike in the sand! was nice to meet you all.
found iceland a great place with some extraordinary things to see and do,the local's are so nice and helpfull. i'd thoroughly recommend this island to everyone as it's spectacular. although you need to be prepaired for all weather's/situation's and next time i'd carry wader's for the river crossing's!
camped everynight there mainly using campsites which were cheap at about £6/night and spotlessly clean! getting into the interior is a must i think especially to swim in viti/askja. i marked 29 pieces to visit and made 28 of them only turning around on the last one due to fuel needs. i will post some photo's when i've shrunk them to fit on here but all in all a great interesting place with great people.only problem i had was my rectifier blowing on my 2nd day in iceland,luckily i carried a spare one!!
would like to thank everyone for their advice and tip's for my trip.
ps- the puffin taste's beautiful!!! MMMmm
ps-and the whale!!! MMMmmm

[kevinhancock750]

as i'm useless with computers and promised to post pics i thought i'd post a link to my facebook instead. hope anyone/everyone enjoys the pics if the link works!! i took 1306 pics but choose 60 to facebook, enjoy.

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ok link dont work! i'll try again!!