UK to Iceland 2014 on an Armstrong MT500

[namtip]

Well I finally did it. On Wednesday 10th September I left Brighton, UK, to live my dream of riding around Iceland on a bike. I returned 19 days and 3083 miles later.

Not bad for a first-ever adventure.

#1 I'll start with a before shot. This was taken 5 minutes before leaving. On the rack we have a tent, sleeping bag, and a camera all in dry-bags, in the right pannier frame we have a rucksack of clothes etc inside a rubble-sack inside a bergen which is attached to the pannier frame. In the left pannier frame (out of sight) we have cooking equipment and a rainsuit. In the front panniers are tools, food, water, and comfy walking boots.




#2 Here I'm having a brew in a layby somewhere in Germany. Autobahns are incredibly boring, but I had my wits about me as the inevitable hulking black Audis, BMWs, and Landrovers come up behind you out of nowhere and shoot past going at twice the speed you're doing making you feel like you're just standing there. I averaged 65mph which was a speed the bike fell into and was comfortable at. A lot of the time I picked a lorry/slower vehicle and just ambled along behind it.




#3 On the 12th, I reach Hirtshals, Denmark, where I would be boarding the ferry the next day. There is a beach accessible by road near the campsite here and is completely deserted. I see some locals have parked up on the beach to walk dogs etc, so I decide to go for a ride in the sand. I ended up going quite a few km's down and back again.




#4 I was wondering if I was going to be the only biker going to Iceland at this time of the year. When German couple Peter and Marika turned up on their Hondas I was more relieved.




#5 We were among the first onto the ferry and were given time to ratchet down the bikes to tie-points in the car deck.




#6 The staff then proceeded to surround us with other vehicles all bound for Iceland. It was like sardines in the end and we struggled to get out of the car deck having to walk between lorries, campers, jeeps...




#7 ...and other more serious 4x4's. At this point I wondered what I had let myself in for.




#8 Two nights (and many s) later we arrive in Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands early in the morning for an 8 hour stop off. We had wanted to do a quick tour of the islands on the bikes, but they were too well packed in so I settled for a walk around instead and hiked up a hill behind Tórshavn looking out over the dock. Here you can see the ferry, the MS Norröna behind the grassy roofs which are so popular in the Faroes.




#9 Another night (and many more s) later we arrive at 10am in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland. I start out by going anticlockwise on the 1 - the island's main ring-road. This is pretty much all tarmac. However a lot of the other roads, especially the most scenic ones leading off of the 1, are all made from compacted gravel. Very soon I start getting to grips (or not) with these surfaces and head off on the more scenic routes:




#10 At some points the gradients are fairly steep, and riding heavily loaded on gravelled barrier-less switchbacks was pretty hair-raising at times!




#11 Down the other side of the pass.




#12 Miles and miles of empty roads. It can be up to an hour before you pass another car.




#13 Tonight I set up camp in þórshöfn after an amazing first day.

[Benny_76]

Looks like a great trip! The scenery looks awesome. I can see you have Avon Distanzia tyres fitted, how did they handle on the gravel roads?

[namtip]

Originally Posted by Benny_76

Looks like a great trip! The scenery looks awesome. I can see you have Avon Distanzia tyres fitted, how did they handle on the gravel roads?

Thanks Benny. I used Avons only because of all the road riding I did to get there from the UK. Had I shipped the bike there I would probably have put some more off-road bias tyres on. The Avons worked fine for me on gravel but I don't have any experience of using anything else on gravel...

[namtip]

#14 Next morning the roads are still empty - where are all the cars in this country?!




#15 At a bridge over glacial meltwater




#16 Heading south to join the 1 and I bump into this view:




#17 Scenery is getting weirder... but more fun.




#18 I think I'm on Mars...




#19 ...or in hell?




#20 Tonight I camp in Akureyri:




#21 The next day I ride through a 3.4 km long tunnel bored through a mountain. It is wide enough only for traffic going one way, so there are dozens of passing places like this one I stopped in. As usual, you can wait ages for another car to come along.






#22 I had this extinct volcano all to myself...






#23 After this it begins to drizzle and it's all pretty miserable. I high-tail it to Borgarnes to set up camp for tonight.




#24 The next day I ride through Reykjavik and explore the South-West peninsula. Stopped at some lava fields.




#25 More steam vents.




#26 Spot the bike.




#27 Had to stop for sheep crossing.




#28 Time to break free of the tarmac and gravel and head out on some marked trails:




#29 Spot the bike II




#30 Just after taking this picture 3 Icelandic policemen on brand new Honda bikes (Pan euro type) come flying round the corner out of nowhere and go motoring past. Could only assume they were training or something...




#31 Tonight I double back and camp in Reykjavik.



Next instalment posting tomorrow!

[MT350]

Brill. What a fantastic trip, especially on an MT

Looking forward to the rest of the trip....

[namtip]

#32 Not long into the next day I meet these Icelandic chopper dudes. "These are the most useless bikes in Iceland!" says one of them proudly. I couldn't fault him there - not much good off-road!




#33 More extraordinary landscape...




#34 The sun came out in the evening and I came across this amazing view...




#35 That night I camped in a town called Laugarvatn. Today was pretty chilled out, which was good really because I was in for a long day the next day...




#36 Today I decided to tackle a more remote mountain trail which happened to go past Mt. Hekla which is classed as one of Iceland's most active volcanoes (although it last erupted in 2000). These trails are marked on maps as 4x4 only. Here are a series of shots:

















Up until now I was having the time of my life. I had a pretty good 1:400,000 road map which showed a lot of mountain trails. There had been a few forks that I'd come across that the map did not appear to show, and so I always took the more worn trails which seemed to correspond to the map. By now the weather was closing in and it was about 2pm. Soon it was raining and the wind had risen to the point where it had turned the rain into flying needles, gusts buffetting me around. Around this time I was pretty sure I was lost and not where I thought I was - I was also running low on fuel (had I gone the way I planned I'd be in a town by now...)

I came across a river which wasn't on the map. I forded it without too much trouble and carried on. I then came to another river which was a bit deeper and faster, but on the other side in the distance were wooden huts with 4x4s and people walking around. I walked the river first, found the best place, and attempted a crossing. The rear wheel gets bogged down in shingle halfway through and I stall it. Not having an electric start and the bike being half buried meant I couldn't kick it to start it again. After a little while some Polish guys come by in a 4x4 and help me out by pushing and pulling. I couldn't thank them enough. I ride to where the huts are to find that it is an information/camping centre. I ask the girl at reception for directions and she gets out a decent OS map and says that I need to go back the way I came and take another turning at a fork I had passed some time ago

I go back - this time aiming for a deeper part of the river - but one with a more substantial bed - and get across ok. By now the rain is coming down hard and my visor is fogged and I'm getting damp. I take the turning I was meant to and check my map. The next petrol station is about 50 km away - but still closer than going all the way back to where I started. I crack on but soon realise that this route has many river crossings according to the map. My map proves to be accurate in this respect and my heart sinks as I struggle through river after river. 20 km and 2 hours later it's beginning to get dark. I check the tank (I switched to reserve long ago) and see there's probably not more than a pint's worth in there. The rain, rivers, steep ascents/descents keep coming, but I get the feeling I'm going more downhill than up. I see a remote farmhouse which is a good sign as it means I'm coming slowly back into civilisation. A few more farmsteads go by when suddenly I hit tarmac! I would've gotten off and kissed it had I not been so wet and fed up. I manage to turn on to the 1 and turn left to head towards the nearest town. Within 50 metres of turning at the junction I run out of fuel.

I coast off of the road down the bank and park up. I have to hitch-hike. It is now dusk and I wait 10 minutes for the next car to pass. Apparently hitch-hiking is quite good in Iceland and they actually stop for me. We drive 20 km to the town I was headed for and they drop me off at the petrol station, which luckily is a large one (meaning it is manned, they sell coffee and have a grill). Bought and emptied the contents of a 1.5l bottle of coke and filled with fuel. Asked around and someone gave me a lift back to the bike. Fuelled up and set off. About halfway there I run out of fuel again!!!

So I hitch-hike again. This time it is pitch black in the middle of nowhere, yet somebody stops and picks me up again and takes me back to the same petrol station. This time I buy a 2l bottle of Sprite and fill that with fuel. Again asking around, somebody takes me back to my bike. I fuel up and this time make it to the petrol station! The guy working there makes me a chicken burger and fries and a hot chocolate and won't take any money for it - I must have looked a state. He directs me to the nearest hotel/guesthouse - tonight was definitely the night to break the always-camping rule...





More tomorrow!

[namtip]

#37 Late next morning I wake up and the rain has stopped, the sun is trying to come out, and somehow miraculously the tiny heater in my room has completely dried out the shrine of motorcycle gear placed around it, with the only exception of my boots which don't bother me as I've got amazing waterproof socks that actually work. I open my curtain and am greeted by this view - time to hit the road again!




#38 This was parked in the guesthouse car park. Could have done with this baby yesterday. Had two ramps up on the back which I later found out (after seeing another one) were for carrying two snowmobiles. In fact many 4x4s here are American imports - guess European ones can't cut the mustard here...




#39 A glacier up close and personal.






#40 And just in case anyone was tempted to go play on the ice... a fairly stark and poignant reminder about the dangers... these guys have never been found - the coordinates mark the spot where their tents were found.




#41 This was turning into one of the best days scenery-wise ever...












#42 That night I camped in Höfn.




#43 I woke up early with a strange glow against my tent. I stuck my head outside to see this sunrise




#44 Time to break camp for my penultimate day in Iceland.




#45 The only major repair I had to make on the journey - the exhaust bolt had fallen out somewhere between UK and here. Nothing a trip to the local hardware store couldn't fix...




#46 Riding back to where I started: Seyðisfjörður








#47 Setting up camp for the last time in Iceland in Seyðisfjörður next to Thomas and Sonia, a couple of other Germans I met both in Reykjavik and Höfn and were sailing back on the same day as me.




#48 An early evening walk around Seyðisfjörður.

[namtip]

#49 Next morning I wake up to find ice on my tent - ok, I'm definitely leaving on the right day!




#50 Boarding didn't commence until later that afternoon, so I spent the morning walking around the town and down the south side of the fjord.








#51 I then pack up ready for the ferry and go for a ride around to kill some more time.






#52 And now it's time to check in...




#53 A very weary, sad, but happy me moments before being allowed to board




#54 Goodbye Iceland, until next time..............?!




Thanks for looking and reading everyone - hope you've enjoyed it

I've kept this thread bike and route biased with a few bits of scenery thrown in. If you want to see more in the way of scenery and other stuff, I have a more general album here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=0185ecd97f

[MT350]

Brilliant

Thanks for sharing. Sounds a great adventure

[rodneythebruce]

Appreciate you sharing your trip report. I'm heading over in mid June 2015, initially for a 10 day cruise around the island then looking at picking up a rental for some inland riding for another 10 days. Your report and photos provide an excellent overview of that amazing landscape. Thanks again.

[teote]

Thanks for your informative trip report. Iceland could be closer ...

[jkrijt]

Very interesting travel story. Loved it.

[stuxtttr]

Brilliant trip report, nice photos and not too heavy on the text so I could get through it in my lunch break

Just out of interest how much do you rekon you spent all in like?

[namtip]

Originally Posted by stuxtttr

Brilliant trip report, nice photos and not too heavy on the text so I could get through it in my lunch break

Just out of interest how much do you rekon you spent all in like?

Thanks dude. Here's a cost breakdown I did for another forum:

Return ferry ticket Hirtshals Denmark to Seydisfjordur Iceland, couchette class (literally sleeping in the bilge ), including 1 meal daily: £393
Eurotunnel return fare: £72
Fuel, food, , camping, sundries etc: £1370

Last time I properly checked, my bike does 49 mpg at low non-motorway speeds. At motorway speeds however it has dipped to around 35 in the past. I did 3083 miles, the vast majority of which was motorway. UK and Iceland average petrol price is circa 128p per litre for the period I visited. So the total price of fuel I burned at 49 mpg is: £366. This rises to £448 at 40 mpg and £512 at 35 mpg. So who knows...

I did blow a lot of money on board the ship, buying many many s at the bar over a total of 6 nights at £5 each, partly because I didn't bother checking the Danish Kroner rates etc - but mainly (and quite rightly) because of the "f**k it - I'm having the best holiday ever!" attitude which I don't have to justify to anyone! I also partook in one-off events like going in the blue lagoon (£20) and splurging on Icelandic delicacies in restaurants a couple of times (not cheap at all!), and buying souvenirs.

Camping at campsites is something like £6 a night. For that you get toilets, drinking water, hot showers, and even laundry facilities sometimes. You always get someone come along either in the evening or the morning who takes the money. They have ID and a card machine and always give you a receipt. If you're organised (not like me) you can collect all receipts and fill out a lengthy form back on the ship and get tax back. Sometimes nobody comes in which case it's all free.

Petrol stations are all automated in Iceland, meaning you use your bank card + PIN not unlike using a cash machine. I'm pretty sure my bank stung me good for that. Towards the end of my trip I discovered that you can buy pre-pay cards for cash - would have saved on bank fees on each fill-up.

So all in all not cheap. But 1000 times more enjoyable and rewarding than an easyjet holiday somewhere!

[stuxtttr]

Originally Posted by namtip

Thanks dude. Here's a cost breakdown I did for another forum:

Return ferry ticket Hirtshals Denmark to Seydisfjordur Iceland, couchette class (literally sleeping in the bilge ), including 1 meal daily: £393
Eurotunnel return fare: £72
Fuel, food, , camping, sundries etc: £1370

Last time I properly checked, my bike does 49 mpg at low non-motorway speeds. At motorway speeds however it has dipped to around 35 in the past. I did 3083 miles, the vast majority of which was motorway. UK and Iceland average petrol price is circa 128p per litre for the period I visited. So the total price of fuel I burned at 49 mpg is: £366. This rises to £448 at 40 mpg and £512 at 35 mpg. So who knows...

I did blow a lot of money on board the ship, buying many many s at the bar over a total of 6 nights at £5 each, partly because I didn't bother checking the Danish Kroner rates etc - but mainly (and quite rightly) because of the "f**k it - I'm having the best holiday ever!" attitude which I don't have to justify to anyone! I also partook in one-off events like going in the blue lagoon (£20) and splurging on Icelandic delicacies in restaurants a couple of times (not cheap at all!), and buying souvenirs.

Camping at campsites is something like £6 a night. For that you get toilets, drinking water, hot showers, and even laundry facilities sometimes. You always get someone come along either in the evening or the morning who takes the money. They have ID and a card machine and always give you a receipt. If you're organised (not like me) you can collect all receipts and fill out a lengthy form back on the ship and get tax back. Sometimes nobody comes in which case it's all free.

Petrol stations are all automated in Iceland, meaning you use your bank card + PIN not unlike using a cash machine. I'm pretty sure my bank stung me good for that. Towards the end of my trip I discovered that you can buy pre-pay cards for cash - would have saved on bank fees on each fill-up.

So all in all not cheap. But 1000 times more enjoyable and rewarding than an easyjet holiday somewhere!

Great info thanks, its took me a while to check this post out but its definitely a place I've always wanted to visit. I think the costs are pretty reasonable considering how out of the way the place is.

Fair play on the ferry bar.I've spent many merry evenings at ferry bars