Iceland – Anybody been?

18 days is loads of time to do lots. Went at Easter this year for a long weekend and it was epic, best holiday I’ve had and a great 40th birthday present. Highlights for me were an underground tour of lava tubes, Porsmork and Eyjafallajokull(the ash cloud volcano). Food is great, puffin, whale, even horse, they eat owt! Local ale is tops too. Enjoy!

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IMG_1837[/url] by dave.w.taylor[/url], on Flickr
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IMG_3519[/url] by dave.w.taylor[/url], on Flickr
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IMG_3318[/url] by dave.w.taylor[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3519[/url] by dave.w.taylor[/url], on Flickr
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IMG_3634[/url] by dave.w.taylor[/url], on Flickr

I’ll avoid the dried fish flakes next time I go – they seemed like an interesting alternative to crisps – but they were not.
Apart from that Iceland is a really great place, although the guys I saw having to pedal down a 1:10 hill because of the strong headwind may not have agreed with me.

More great stuff thanks all – now where my map there’s a lot to mark up!!

You lucky devil, what a great place to go for a honeymoon!

I have not done the Laugarvatn walk but did the bit beyond it which is a two day trek which takes you from Porsmorsk to the coast at Skogar. The scenery was truly breathtaking so you are in for a treat. I hope you have very good waterproofs though! The weather for the first 4 days we were there was truly awful. One poor man trying to hitchike kept being blown off the road (and no we didn’t give him a lift as he would have got the car wet!) But the next 6 were glorious!

Since you are into hiking, Skartafjell park on the south coast is well worth a vist, we did a stunning walk which they have details at the park office that takes your right up into the mountains to a peak from where (if you are not in cloud like were) you can see three glaciers.

Jokulkarsen is just down the road – someone else mentioned this as well worth visiting.

We went to Gulfoss and Geysir at the end and found them a bit disapponting, not because they are but because everything else we had seen before was far more impressive! Thingellvir park and the great rift there is worth a visit.

Some photos here on Mr _c’s website (sorry don’t know how to post a link)

http://www.davidwhitestudio.co.uk/gallery/iceland/

Enjoy

More thanks, plenty (of grilled puffin) to digest over the weekend

Did a month in Iceland. Awesome place make sure you go to Dimmu Borgir – great place!! We mainly travelled on the ringroad of iceland calling in at Hofn, Akureryi, Egilsstaoir, Selfoss and obviously the capital.

The landscape between Hofn and Selfoss is just amazing!!!!! So is the route between Egils and Akureryi. The latter feeling like another planet in places – Mordor in particular!!

You can swim in alot of the hot water though look out for signposts cos some of them will cook you alive!!

Love the place, love the people, love the food especially all those dry fish and most of all love the malt drink. I had a wonderful time and will go again to visit some friends next year.

If I was going I would definately be spending time researching where to go to see the Aurora Borealis.
I know its dependant on a number of factors but the Sun has been pretty lively recently so maybe its a possibiliy.

If I was going I would definately be spending time researching where to go to see the Aurora Borealis.
I know its dependant on a number of factors but the Sun has been pretty lively recently so maybe its a possibiliy.

he’s going in July…so I reckon he’s going to struggle to see it!!!! 😀

Lucky bugger – went there in spring and absolutely loved it. Don’t think there is a bad time to go – winter for snow and aurora, summer for camping and hiking.

Possibly better than mountain biking:

Re fences and going out of hours, that’s the very best thing about the place. No gates, no tickets, no gift shop, no coach park, no coffee shop. Just rock up and look at the thing whenever and however you like
(car parked in background)

It amazes me Mtb riding hasn’t really taken off over there. There are no bike shops to speak of. Business opportunity??!!

Tough access laws due to fragile env get in the way of it – you have to stick to tracks, and try getting permission to build new ones…

Query:

anyone know any good ice climbing/mountaineering routes in Iceland?

Went in June this year for three weeks of bike touring. Amazing place -spent a week traversing the interior up through Gulfoss to Akuyeri, followed by 10 days working back west around the N then NW coast to Reykjavik, blue lagoon and home.
The isolation of the interior is just incredible, as are the hot-pot thermal pools dotted about the place. North coast and herring villages now more accesible due to tunnels and worth a visit. Ferry to NW peninsulas from Stkisholmur (via Flatey – island population of 100 and LOTS of Puffin) a good way of getting north without driving / pedalling miles into a head wind. Some pics here:

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P6110304[/url] by rob_j_hopkins[/url], on Flickr

Dave – I was in front of the Gigjokull glacier with a group of 35 Sixth Formers 8 hrs before the eruption. I guess we must have been the last to see it as it was – interesting to see your pic of it as an update – no more proglacial lake.

Just uploaded some photos of our trip. was supposed to be there for 1 night, ended up being weather bound for 3 days. Got a car and made the best of things on a budget.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150991126055411.766124.541445410&type=1&l=64b97f4ed9

Would love to go back for a proper trip. 3 month fat bikepacking trip would be a fantastic way of seeing the place.

We’ve been loads of times, a wonderful country. If you are going for 18 days I’d really suggest getting a 4X4 for at least some of that time although the public buses are very, very good indeed. Your own vehicle makes things so much more convenient though. We once took our own car- NOT a good idea in retrospect. Three adults, two kids, four bikes and a tag-along, tents, cookers, a month’s supply of whisky too, in a Mondeo Estate. If ever CU 02 EOZ is offered to you, do not touch it, it took a real hammering.
The car hire companies are all desperately helpful, but we have found Iceland Car Rental to be the best so far. And haggle, we ended up with three extra free days in the end. We hired a Grand Vitara and fitted with M+S tyres it did us proud. Learn how to use the petrol pumps too, they can sometimes be temperamental.
Apart from all the places listed above by others I’d also recommend a visit to the northernmost point, seemingly a stones throw from the Arctic Circle.

Viti (by Askja) is an amazing place. A four hour drive, 40 minutes walk- and then a swim in a volcanic crater. In the snow. Go ‘au naturel’ like the locals.

We stayed with friends in Reykjavik, or used guesthouses/ bunkhouses.
Camping is very popular with the locals and tourists alike, and you get to stay in amazing places. We especially like http://www.thakgil.is/english.html, and at Myvatn, the Bjarg Campsite.

Best of the lot though has to be using the mountain huts of which there are dozens. Landmannalaugar, Laugafell, Hveravellir and many more have hot pools to relax away in after the days drive/ bike/ walk/ ride.

The Northern part of the Vatnajökull National Park (Ásbyrgi and Jökulsá á Fjöllum gorges (Jokulsarglifur)) are awesome- Dettifoss is Europes biggest waterfall.
The weather in the Myvatn area is consistently better than in Reykjavik. Whilst we’ve seen the aurora borealis from the capital the best I’ve ever experienced is from the far North East of the country, in very late August.

Oh dear, I’ve bitten off a bit. More. Than I. Can chew.

http://www.bjorgum.is/icebjorg/photos/

Can’t f**king wait

So what if I have no clue how to place gear or indeed do anything on ice whatsoever…I’ll be trip photographer*

*I’m doing lots of training before…