Tips for Bikepacking in Iceland

So, while I slowly type up an account of our trip, here by popular demand (this is a lie) are some tips for those seeking to do something similar. This is by no means an exhaustive list, neither is it necessarily correct, or indeed useful. 

In fact, you may as well go and read something else instead. 

Go on. Off you go.

1.      When arriving at the airport with your bike, if you’re keeping your bike packed up and getting a coach/bus to Reykjavik, shop around a little and look out for the cost of transporting a bike. Fares vary wildly, and bikes can cost a lot.  

2.      Avoid riding on the no.1 road. It’s busy and probably the least pleasant part of the country. If you really must use it, try to get a bus. They have racks and/or space for bikes. The state buses (i.e. Strateo) are far cheaper than the coaches.

3.      Use the buses. Unless you’re an obsessive cyclist to whom any other form of transport is blasphemy, then get the bus. There are long stretches of nothingness on the south coast ideally suited to not riding. Obviously, if there’s an interesting alternative, getting the bus IS cheating!

4.      You’ll only need a couple of days of food. There are stores and cafes around the place, even in the central highlands. Sure, it’s a good idea to carry food with you (especially to save money), but you wont need more than a few days unless you’re on some insane expedition over Vatnajokull (in which case I’d hope you already know much more than me on this subject).

5.      2ltrs of water is enough most of the time. Water is everywhere. We didn’t use purification or filters, but we did avoid glacial streams. Clearly you need to exercise caution and common sense. It’s not my fault if you subsequently die because you elected to do something extraordinarily stupid.

6.      Get off the beaten track. That includes the Kjolur and Sprengisandur. If you’re anything like me you’ll read this and completely ignore it. You may be set on a route which has some arbitrary purpose (furthest, longest, hardest etc), but if you can change your mind then do so. It’s far better to find points of interest, find the most interesting way to get between them and refer to point 2 if you’re struggling.

7.      Be flexible. If the wind is blowing a gale from the north, go south. If you’re already in the south, then either have a day off or see point 2. Jim put it best “The weather in Iceland is like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired”. In summary; you cannot beat the weather. Don’t try.

8.      If you’re going to cross rivers all day, then you’re rapidly going to get annoyed with frequent changes of shoes. A better choice than the traditional flip-flops (which are a swine and very cold to ride in) is a pair of lightweight trainers you can ride in which dry quickly. Accept cold wet feet (sealskinz sock help) and know there are warm dry shoes awaiting you once the wet stuff is done.

9.      Protect your eyes. Dust storms and dust from passing vehicles is an irritant you can do without. A pair of cheap dust-proof glasses from a hardware or H&S clothing store will do a decent job for very little money.

10.  Beware your GPS! If accuracy in recording you trip is important and you set your GPS to a battery saving or extended mode, then it’ll only record points every 10mins (or something similar). Strava (or Garmin or whatever) will join the dots. This means that your route will be effectively shortened. Worse than that, Strava cuts out stopped time. The net result for us was about 10% inaccuracy on distance and saying what took 12hrs took 4hrs!   

11.  Take every opportunity to jump into a hotpot. Geothermal pools are marked on most maps and one of the highlights of the country. They vary from sublimely hot, remote and pretty, to a tepid slimy hole in a beach. All are worth a dip.