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An Icelandic Saga
Three days out from the UK through France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany to Hirtshals at the northern tip of Denmark. Arranged to meet up with Modman from this parish:
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg Bikes safely stowed: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg Arrived at the Faroe Isles en route: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg Overnight to Iceland. |
Very picturesue leaving Torshavn. Real pity that I didn't have the time to spend a couple of days here but as it is, I've only got a week on Iceland. At least there's a reason to come back sometime!
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg |
Early Thursday morning, the weather is set fair and Iceland comes in to view:
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg The MS Norröna slides into one of the eastern fjords: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg Seyðisfjörður, our destination: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg |
First destination, Dettifoss, Europe's larges waterfall by volume made famous in the opening scene of Prometheus:
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg We take the "bad road" to get the good view giving us our first off road experience on Iceland. Pushing on, we arrive at our target destination of Lake Mývatn in good time and pitch camp: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg With a commanding view over the lake: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg |
It never truly got dark overnight and Friday morning slowly greeted us with a chilly, wet and windy start. We eventually got tents packed away and hatched a plan to take an easy day riding to the top of the Kjalvegur aka the Kjölur Route, Iceland's main north/south thoroughfare; 104 miles of unpaved road.
What cheers the soul and warms the heart on a cold, wet and windy day? Bacon for lunch! http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg The lack of photo opportunities does give me the chance to introduce the travellers. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Wildman aka Mildman to anyone who's met me in meatspace: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg The Wildman moniker comes from my mothers side of the family and is just a name that I use. In fact, if any of you Cannucks knew Cariboo Motorcycles in Port Moody, BC a few years back, you may know my uncle Dave Wildman. Here I am, still damp from the ride to the ferry, settling into my sumptuous accommodation on board the MS Noronna: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg My fellow traveller is Modman. He's a bit younger than me prompting a few, "Is this your son", comments and a more experienced and more confident off-road rider than me. He's also got 'ants in his pants' and can't sit still for one damned minute! http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg |
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You may be getting the impression by now that one of us speeds off at break-neck speed and stops every now and then to le the other catch up and that the "other" is me! We are the hare and the tortoise made real.
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The Kjölur Route spits you out at Gulfoss and Geysir:
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg |
So how do you beat a day on the Kjalvegur? Go to Landmannalaugar and ride the Fjallabaksleið!
A quick visit to Godafoss ... http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg ... and Haifoss ... http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg ... which was awesome ... and we're off on the F208 and the fantastic F225: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy.../L/image-L.jpg |
Can we go back yet? One of my best holidays yet :)
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So where were we? Ah, yes, riding like Gods through the rivers of the Fjallabaksleið in Landmannalaugar. :D http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140840-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140841-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140842-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140843-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140844-L.jpg |
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... and generally into what feels like the middle of nowhere so that the last thing that you expect to see, let alone catching you at a rate of knots, is ...
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140882-L.jpg A damned bus! |
Landamannalaugar is simply stunning. Without doubt, quite simply the most beautiful place I've ridden. Barren and stark for sure but hauntingly impressive. More traffic than Kjolur as it's within a day from Reykjavik but if you come to Iceland, come to this place.
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1000301-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140845-L.jpg |
Two days across Iceland to get to Landmannalaugar and time to make a decision whether to head back through the central highlands on the F26 Sprengisandsleið or whether to head for the ring to the south and Jökulsárlón. We'd met a Dutch guy riding his bicycle on the Kjalvegur who'd told us that Kjalvegur was a "highway" compared to the Sprengisandsleið and that he, in turn, had met a Russian cyclist who'd had to carry his bike for 12kms due to sand on the F910 towards Askja, the route Daniel and I had considered. With the water likely to be rising due to the rain for the past day or two, it wasn't a difficult decision. We're here to enjoy the riding, not to push ourselves to the limit so it's back to the ring (a decision we are later pleased about on hearing the stories of a couple of German guys nearly drowning their bikes) and as if to reward us, the sun puts in a welcome appearance, drying off our wet tents.
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140884-L.jpg |
As we're packing away the next morning, the Spaniard camping next tent to me some 20 m away sticks his head of his tent, stretches and with a tired smile says, "You snore like a bitch, man!". :shogs I've also noticed that Daniel seems to pitch his tent a little further away from mine each night.
We decide just to put on some miles for day five in the hope that we might be able to access the highlands from the east later in the week. We're truly in the 'tourist' zone and everywhere we stop is full with coaches of Asians. A couple of waterfalls at Seljalandsfoss: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1000308-L.jpg and Skógafoss are the first highlight until we reach the shore at Vik in the forlorn hope of finding puffins (they were there but too far in the distance for pics without a zoom lens): http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140898-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140901-L.jpg The glaciers coming down off the Vatnajökull ("River of Glaciers") icecap are very impressive, as is Jökulsárlón. Formed when a glacier that used to reach the ocean receded to form a lagoon, it's an eerie place with an atmosphere almost like a graveyard as the glacier 'dies': http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1000321-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1000329-L.jpg |
Very few pictures for day six. Shame as it was a fantastic days riding. Big Sur? Meh; go ride the "1" in South East Iceland and then cut over the F939 for a bit of gravel and mud before heading into Egilsstadir for skalafleki and fries for lunch:
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMG_0014-L.jpg Rode out across Snæfell to the new dam in the afternoon: http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1140959-L.jpg before pitching camp by the lake. |
Our last day and we're already just about back to where the ferry leaves. Over coffee and eggs at the local cafe, we bump into a local motorcyclist and ask for a recommendation for a good road to ride. He's on a Harley but seems like a good guy and he shows us his recommendation; the F917 in Héradsflói up to the north. This, it turns out, is the highest road in Iceland and an absolute gem; 20 miles of fast, flat gravel up the western side of Héradsflói and then 20 miles of up and down and round and about and across into Vopnafjörður:
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1000334-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1000341-L.jpg http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...P1000345-L.jpg |
Ben voila! C'est fait. Our route:
http://wildmania.smugmug.com/Motorcy...13.29.23-L.png Seven fantastic days. If you're thinking about coming here; do it! |
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nice, report and it was good reading.
I now want to go as I reckon I could get some time off work for something like this next year... we will see... need to get some more knowledge on the place first.... |
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You live and you learn. That "XL" Ortlieb is now a "small" Ortlieb. It's a start. |
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