I am planning on doing a cycling trip of Iceland in Aug/Sept & wondering if anybody can offer some advice. This is my first cycling trip & I am planning on camping/wildcamping where possible.
I'm a little concerned about the weather & how tough the cycling might be. Also, not sure what kind of bike I should be looking for (sorry, I am a complete novice!).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
Iceland
Cycling in Iceland can be quite an adventure. 
Distances between communities can be quite long, and eating out facilities are few and far between, although most villages had a camp site, some were quite primitive. There is always food available at petrol stations, but this is usually fast food, and not suitable for cyclists who are burning a lot of energy. Probably best to take cooking facilities and be prepared to do all of your own cooking. Temperatures are lower, I saw few if any cyclists wearing shorts in summer when fog wind and rain can be expected. Route 1 circles the country, and every year a little more is tarred, but best to have a hybrid with wider tyres as you will be off road at times. Take a high quality sleeping bag, the nights can be cold. You might also want to consider an eye mask to help sleep, as it will not get dark at night in summer, and this can disturb sleep patterns. I had some language problems in the more isolated areas with only the youngsters speaking English. You might want to consider going by ferry which calls in at the Faroes en route to or from Iceland.
I would not wish to deter you, and admire your spirit, but as you claim to be a "complete novice", I would suggest by choosing Iceland you are perhaps going in at the deep end. Maybe a short tour nearer home would make a more suitable introduction to cycle touring and would help you decide on what gear to take for a longer and perhaps arduous tour.
Good luck
Distances between communities can be quite long, and eating out facilities are few and far between, although most villages had a camp site, some were quite primitive. There is always food available at petrol stations, but this is usually fast food, and not suitable for cyclists who are burning a lot of energy. Probably best to take cooking facilities and be prepared to do all of your own cooking. Temperatures are lower, I saw few if any cyclists wearing shorts in summer when fog wind and rain can be expected. Route 1 circles the country, and every year a little more is tarred, but best to have a hybrid with wider tyres as you will be off road at times. Take a high quality sleeping bag, the nights can be cold. You might also want to consider an eye mask to help sleep, as it will not get dark at night in summer, and this can disturb sleep patterns. I had some language problems in the more isolated areas with only the youngsters speaking English. You might want to consider going by ferry which calls in at the Faroes en route to or from Iceland.
I would not wish to deter you, and admire your spirit, but as you claim to be a "complete novice", I would suggest by choosing Iceland you are perhaps going in at the deep end. Maybe a short tour nearer home would make a more suitable introduction to cycle touring and would help you decide on what gear to take for a longer and perhaps arduous tour.
Good luck
I suggest you give Josie Dew's (http://www.josiedew.co.uk/) first book "Wind in my Wheels" a good read before setting out. You will learn a lot about cycle touring in general and Iceland specifically.
I'm of to the the Faroe Isles in July so we may pass on the ferry!
You are mighty brave choosing Iceland as a first tour...go for it but at least do a few long weekends in the UK first.
I'm of to the the Faroe Isles in July so we may pass on the ferry!
You are mighty brave choosing Iceland as a first tour...go for it but at least do a few long weekends in the UK first.
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katied
Hi Katied,
Decisions
Yes, it is not easy.
On my first foreign tour I cycled the LF1 Route and consider it a good starter for touring abroad. You are never far fom help if a problem arises, but it takes you through three countries, Holland ,Belgium and France. Google "LF1 route" for all the info, you can get a guide book in English too.
Decisions
Yes, it is not easy.
On my first foreign tour I cycled the LF1 Route and consider it a good starter for touring abroad. You are never far fom help if a problem arises, but it takes you through three countries, Holland ,Belgium and France. Google "LF1 route" for all the info, you can get a guide book in English too.
Mmmmmmm. Iceland. Strong winds, midges and vocanic dust and gravel. The latter gets kicked up into your face by cars, and is the reason most Icelandic vehicles have mesh stone guards on their fronts.
Volcanic dust gets into moving parts like chains and functions as a very efficient grinding paste. Niiiiiiice.
The scenery is stunning, the people great, the alcohol extortionate; why Iceland?
If you feel you are up to it, and have a bike that can cope with gravel roads, go for it. Otherwise, have a look, say, at the European Bike Express drop-off points and work something out from there.
Volcanic dust gets into moving parts like chains and functions as a very efficient grinding paste. Niiiiiiice.
The scenery is stunning, the people great, the alcohol extortionate; why Iceland?
If you feel you are up to it, and have a bike that can cope with gravel roads, go for it. Otherwise, have a look, say, at the European Bike Express drop-off points and work something out from there.
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eileithyia
- Posts: 8399
- Joined: 31 Jan 2007, 6:46pm
- Location: Horwich Which is Lancs :-)
I would endorse all that has been said before. Beautiful country but very hard work, even for an experienced tourist. You could be fording rivers up to your thighs, gravel and sand roads, very strong winds that suddenly appear from nowhere or from a different direction! 3-4 days without a shop and need carry adequate food! By August/September you could see the start of winter settling again.
Contact; Dick Philips who is a leading authority on cycling in Iceland and advertises regularly in the Rough Stuff Journal. rsf.org.uk
Contact; Dick Philips who is a leading authority on cycling in Iceland and advertises regularly in the Rough Stuff Journal. rsf.org.uk
If you want a challenge, that will prepare you for Iceland, but is a little more acsessable then try the highlands and islands of Scotland. Weather systems are similar but not quite as windy. Days are as long and winter doesn't come nearly as soon. The scenery is just as dramatic and they even speak (a form of) English up there!
Most importantly the roads in the highlands are good and well looked after, you can choose if you want to cycle off road instead of it being forced on you! If you want a real challenge then Bealach na Ba to the Applecross peninsula should suit.
Cycling in the highlands is wonderful and as good as anywhere in the world. May and early June are usually the best months but September can be a really good month to go, as the midges have usually gone, it rains less than in August and you should have a few sunny days, late June, July and August are midgy and there are lots of tourists who don't know how to drive on single carriage roads around.
Most importantly the roads in the highlands are good and well looked after, you can choose if you want to cycle off road instead of it being forced on you! If you want a real challenge then Bealach na Ba to the Applecross peninsula should suit.
Cycling in the highlands is wonderful and as good as anywhere in the world. May and early June are usually the best months but September can be a really good month to go, as the midges have usually gone, it rains less than in August and you should have a few sunny days, late June, July and August are midgy and there are lots of tourists who don't know how to drive on single carriage roads around.
eileithyia wrote:Contact; Dick Philips who is a leading authority on cycling in Iceland and advertises regularly in the Rough Stuff Journal. rsf.org.uk
Fortunately, his write up took some time to reach me, in which time I had toured Iceland and returned. I found his notes kind of weird and off putting to say the least, not like the place I had been to at all, perhaps they have been updated now.
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darrim
Hi Katie,
If you're still thinking of going to Iceland then it's good to read the article on the Icelandic Mountain Bike Club's website :
http://www.mmedia.is/ifhk/touring.htm
Also, you can contact me with any questions you have regarding routes or whatever.
There are many cyclists' reports of their adventures in Iceland which should also give you an idea of routes and what to expect.
Cheers
Darren
themadhouse@internet.is
If you're still thinking of going to Iceland then it's good to read the article on the Icelandic Mountain Bike Club's website :
http://www.mmedia.is/ifhk/touring.htm
Also, you can contact me with any questions you have regarding routes or whatever.
There are many cyclists' reports of their adventures in Iceland which should also give you an idea of routes and what to expect.
Cheers
Darren
themadhouse@internet.is
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katied