[Closed] Bikepacking Iceland: sidetracked magazine

Not the best writer, awkward.

Nice shots. We were in Iceland a couple of weeks ago, including Landmannalaugar, amazing place and country. Lots of "what the ... " moments despite the cloud being down low most of the time.

looks like they had a good time. the place gets under your skin, still planning a return trip although it didn't happen this year.

http://icelandicfatfun.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/not-across-iceland-on-fatbike-write-up.html

Absolutely stunning landscape, been top of the "bucket list" for a while, does anyone know of any websites or books that are good go-to guides for organising a trip?

We struggled to find any info about routes. There's Wikilok but you need a map with you as you check out the routes as one will be next to Reykjavik and the next in the list will be in the far north, also some of the routes appear to be someone's commute! [url= http://www.icelandtrails.com/ ]This site[/url] has some good routes. Most sites I came across were guiding companies who understandably don't publicise their routes.

We asked in a bike shop in Reykjavik and were basically told: if it's a road/track/footpath then you can ride on it. There are bridleways but these are really set up for horses - think of the cinder tracks that they train racehorses on and you'll be on the right lines. You aren't allowed to ride off-route, no doubt it happens. Once away from the main tourist venues and hiker's trails like the Lauvegar (Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork) you are unlikely to see many people if anyone. We did a ride just west of Geysir and after the first bit of fell road saw just one car in five hours of riding.

Some shots about halfway down this [url= http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6734&start=200 ]this page[/url] (same username as here)

Riding varies from loose dirt roads to steep singletrack where a fall really wouldn't be advised.

Oh, and the place is expensive, very expensive. Add 50% to UK prices.

You can ride anywhere there's a track. But not off the tracks. The landscape is incredibly sensitive, and tyre tracks could still be there in tens of years time.

In Highlands are definitely the place to go. While it's pretty wild, there are lots of huts, there's lots of fresh water and the going is typically okay (though the corrugations can get a little tiresome).

This is a good resource for what tracks are open when:
[url= http://www.road.is/media/umferd-og-faerd/Halendi.pdf ]Mountain Roads[/url]

This is an exceptionally detailed map of the country, you can seet tracks which aren't on most maps: [url= https://en.ja.is/kort/?type=map&x=524797&y=486316&z=1 ]Iceland Mapping[/url]

Ferdakort make pretty much all of Icelands paper maps. They're excellent.

This map is also great, but the info on fords is a load of lies! There are many more and some are... urm... interesting: [url= http://www.vegagerdin.is/media/upplysingar-og-utgafa/Cycling-map.pdf ]Map of Lies[/url]

If I could live anywhere I'd struggle to choose between Japan and Iceland. Really fantastic place, the people are just as nice as the scenery, I really need to go back there some time.

Not been cycling there but spent 10 days travelling in 2007 after getting married at the Hotel Glymuir,Akranes.

Such an amazing place, gets under the skin. Really want to visit again next year for our 10th anniversary, doubt she'll let me sneak my bike on the plane though.

What tent did they have? Massive vestibule!

I loved riding in Iceland, looks like he did a similar route to me as I recognise lots of the pictures. I just had a long weekend and was on a Tripster ATR, covered about 440km and almost missed the flight home, here's a blog about it: [url= http://wp.me/p4kH5h-3MO ]Iceland Bikepacking[/url]

Ha. Those bloody river crossings on the road out of lanmannalaugar.

My feet went cold and numb after the first two rivers, so was fairly painless until they warmed up again...

Thanks for posting the link & eshoote's blog.Iceland's been on my list for a couple of years,looks like a gravel bike is the best way to experience the place.
I'll be going for a week next year,bikepacking with extra sealskins! 😀

Not sure a gravel bike is the way to go in fairness. We came across a few people who had drop bar touring bikes with largish tyres for that bike type (probably 30-40mm) and they were having a hell of a time on the Kjolur. There are many areas of wind-blown sand and loose gravel, and these guys were pushing all of them. Equally, the washboard compacted stuff is going to be very very tiresome with a skinny tyre. I'd say a fatbike (which I took) is probably overkill though (plus the f*ckers try to float away on river crossings, which is frankly terrifying), a 27.5+ with a low fast-rolling central tread pattern is probably the way to go.

Seakskinz are also useless in my experience, as the rivers tend to get up to thigh height. You're best off with a pair of sandals (like Teva make), a towel and gritted teeth. Under no circumstances lose your patience and plough through the crossing at full tilt without changing sohes. It *will* take more than 24hrs to dry your shoes out and you'll spend that period wanting to cry.

you mean like this?

+1 to what Catbaiter says about tyres: I had 27.5+ wheels on my bike with 3" front/2.8" rear. A good way of thinking about the graded roads is that they are the same consistency as the ashes from a coal fire with the occasional larger bit of rock in them. Some of the fell roads are more like Potato Alley in the Peak but with ash/tufa binding in some of the rocks.

Jam bo.

Yeah. That's precisely what I was thinking of. What kind of a moron would do that when it's 5deg and there's a day and a half of riding still to do?

By the way. When you said 'no' to doing it in winter. I assume that's a 'yes'?

will the river crossings be frozen?

Yes. And under several metres of snow.

in that case. no.

Thanks for the tips regarding tyres & river crossings.. 😯

I wonder if the tracks are a lot better later in the season after more cars/trucks have used them because I had no issues on the gravel F roads a couple of weeks ago. Granted they were rough in places but kept decent pace each day and had no issues or pushing. Planning the same 40mm set up when head back next year.
With the river crossings I just accepted wet feet and packed dry socks, couldn't be bothered faffing about changing shoes when crossing so many rivers in a day!

I think the fell roads are very variable, it depends on how they get used and how capable the drivers are that use them. We went along some graded roads that were as bad or worse than some fell roads.