Iceland in July
 

Hey,

Will be visiting Iceland the first two weeks of July, travelling there by ferry.
There will be two of us, Dad (68) on his Triumph Thruxton, and myself on my Tiger XC.

No fixed plans yet, but Dad will be riding the ringroad mainly, while I will try and take some of the more inland/gravel roads as well, thinking the 35, and exploring the westfjords area, weather permitting.

All tips and hints welcome, and anyione who happens to be in the area, wanting to meet up for a beer, or maybe exploring the gravel roads for a bit, just give me a shout!

Dirk

Here are a few tips:

-Bring warm clothing and rain gear - have it handy. In the interior I experienced sub Zero nights in the first week of August
-Have some bottles of spirits with you (half bottles, plastic).. it is a great way to meet people
-Iceland is very windy, can get very cold even in July, and basing your trip on setting up and living in a tent is not what I would reccommend.... but i would bring one in case of emergencies (a lodge being fully booked, a breakedown, etc)
-Travel through the interiro will take you 2-3 days, and is highly reccomended... if you ride a dual sport. If not, forget it
-Don't expect to see other riders outside Reykjavik
-Ride the southern part of the Western fjords, it is awesome... the northern part of the western fjord is not as nice, but good
-Spend a few days in Reykjavik at the end of the trip and don't hold back - the food and social scene is spectacular. Find a concert and go
-Don't cook your own food, eat in the restaurants... eating in Iceland is a great experience
-Going into the interior there are self serving lodges... but you need to bring your own food. Bring a cooker incase you need to tent. Bring coffe, fresh water, etc... The interior is spectacular, but can also be a trial for both man and bike... take it easy and don't be a macho man.


Warning, Iceland is a windy place. The wind can get very strong and very unpredictable. Being an island, with roads twisting in and out of fjords, with hills and rock formations, all contributing to unpredictable wind (direction and strength), combined with no tell tale signs in the form of vegitation, it can qucikly steer you off the road and into the gutter in a heart beat. One day was so intense I couldn't keep the bike on the road even at walking speeds, throwing me all over the place.

But Iceland can also be sunny and dead quiet... and it is allways beautiful, and the people are awesome.

Thanks for the tips wheelie. I'll be landing and picking my bike up on 14th August, can't wait. Do you know of anywhere where I could leave an empty suitcase for a couple of weeks?

I'll be flying up and I'll be putting my riding kit and luggage in the suitcase and I'll be transferring it all onto the bike and I'll have no room for the case.

Any ideas?

Ps sorry for the hijack :mchappy:

Hi Wheelie, thanks for your advice!

Sounds every bit like the adventure we're hoping for!

Am especially looking forward to the western fjords, and to tasting some of the local cuisine!

Also, a bottle of single malt will now be added to the packing list :-)

About these self serving lodges in the interior, is this something you need to book in advance, or is it just turn up and see?

Thanks again,
Dirk

-counting the days, not long now :-)

Can be paradise...
 

Particulary in July. Was there for two weeks in 2013. First week was chilly but mainly wet with sunny periods - lost of low cloud.

Second week when we had the bikes we had sunshine which brought it's own fun with "sea breezes" - I would advise not riding the 35 solo if there has been recent heavy rain as the river crossings can be hairy.

If the weather is against you as well the Westerfjords can be dodgy as well. Even though we had blazing sunshine we also had to admit defeat with two days of sea fog giving zero visibility, so on the gravel sections on route 60 it was.... interesting. But I would ride it if you can they are creating more tourist friendly sections so the fun stuff will be gone soon.

We ended up catching the ferry over to Stykkisholmur on the Snæfellsnes peninsula and spent a couple of days riding there - great gravel roads as well as good tarmac and worth hunting out the Kaffe Sif in Rif http://www.snaefellsjokull.com/hellissandur-rif

Also consider getting hold of some local maps when you arrive particulary if you hit the Highlands. If the weather is going to be bad I can recommenced the Kaldidalur (550) route from Thingveller to Husafell for a great days ride, when you get to the end you have t junction with a large campsite and petrol at Husafell on the left but a great little basic campsite at http://www.fljotstunga.is/#!the-farm/czq2 on the right

Pack and prepare for Maritime European early spring weather and you will in general be fine. We took two season bags with thick silk liners and lightweight primaloft thermal gear - which was great for the first week but ended up in t-shirts and shorts for the second :)

If you are hiring from the Biking Viking they are happy to store the cases while you are away.

Cheers Grazoid. Some really good info above, I'll make a note of the roads and campsites.

I've already got a decent map of the Highlands, I really can't wait. All the folks at work are all a bit dumbfounded as to why we want to visit Iceland, all I say is enjoy your two weeks in the Costa del Sol with your heinz baked beans and crap tv on in the pubs, along with the crowded beaches!

I'm shipping the bike up 10 days before we fly.

Thanks

DG

The only time I booked in advance was when I visited the hotel furthest to the west on the western fjords... I found that I didn't have to. I didn't book in the self serving lodges in the interior neither, nor any hotels. Plenty of vacancy. But I guess you could get unlucky, especially if you arrive late. I had a tent with me just in case... which I reccomend you do. Not only can you risk finding that your lodge or hotel is full, but you can very easily get stranded in the interior if your bike breaks down or if you are trapped between two rivers with too much water.

Keep in mind that the rivers may flow faster later in the day from snow and glaciers melting under the sun... and rain, well you might have to sit it out. I had no problems and it was my first time ever doing river crossings.

Soooo, it's now one hour before we're off, thanks for all the advice given!

Fingers crossed for some decent weather, I'll let you all know how we got on, once we get back!

Dirk

Well, we're back after an amazing ride!

Despite terrible weather at times (a local guide called it the wettest summer in 100 years....) we rode 4300 km on Iceland alone, and some 700 on the Faroe Islands.

Used most of the advice on here, so thanks everyone for that!

Will write a bit more when the washing is done and the bike is cleaned, in the mean time
there's some pictures on this: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dirks...1051157?ref=hl

Dirk

Just had a quick look at the fb page, looks like you had a nice trip, counting the days now myself, 2 weeks today I should be well into my first day on the road.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

Some great pictures Dirk! Was it as expensive as you thought?? Food, ale beer, fuel etc.?