Eruptions, erections and Champagne.

[Pumpy]

Great pictures and story, Tim!

Thanks for spending so much time on sharing your honeymoon with us - well, the scenic part that is...

Your description of the landscape as "stunningly miserable" made me laugh; I know exactly what you mean - who needs to go to Patagonia when you can find it all in Europe?

Say hello to your better half - hope Ange doesn't have any regrets yet...

All the best to the both of you!

 

[bod]

What a fantastic, inspiring & breathtaking thread!

You maybe a lousy mod, but you make up for it as a travel reporter!

 

[robbie c]

OOOO! Congratulations both. Well congratulations Tim - commiserations Ange!!!
Thinking of having a trials bike weekend at the quarry - are you both up for it?

PM me.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Great picture, thats the one..

Front page shot

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Front page shot

Awww, you beat me to it......!

FP.

 

[Timolgra]

A few photos from our crossing.

 

[Timolgra]

Suprise, suprise, it's time for tea.

Not a bad place to stop though.

A bit further on and I hear a crunch in the soft gravel behind as I come to a stop.
Thankfully she's ok and pick her bike then, looking quite pleased with herself, waves her clutch lever at me.
Guess what's missing?

I've put a spare under the seat, so after letting her fret for a few minutes fit the new one.

Perhaps too strongly, I remind her we're 100km from the nearest tarmac "so don't do that again, there's no more spares".

She gives me her best 'ashamed' look and I'm the one who ends up feeling guilty.

How do women do that!??

Time to get going.

 

[Timolgra]

Sometimes you just have to open that bike up.
The bike feels heavy but uprated Ohlins supspension just soaks it all up.
I don't know how fast but hard on the throttle in 5th gear. Yehaa!

Vrooom, I needed that.

 

[Timolgra]

About half way we turn off to a small hostel and managed to get some hot soup and bread.
The campsite's bleak and exposed so decide to press on the next 100km to the northern R1 tarmac road then a further 100km to Saudarkrokur on the north coast whilst the weather's good.

Eventually we drop through some cold cloud from the bright sunshine higher up and are back to the tarmac.
Ange had realised her dream, to ride across Iceland.

Riding north now towards Saudarkrokur.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Tim, those pix are seriously stunning and the riding looks perfect

Might have to start planning a little trip up there

 

[Timolgra]

Tim, those pix are seriously stunning and the riding looks perfect

Might have to start planning a little trip up there

Take a small bike.
We were limited in where we could go by some roads still being closed due to deep rivers etc. my heavy bike and erm how shall I put this........giving Ange a real adventure without putting her in danger.

But even using big bikes we still saw loads of fantastic places.

If/when we return, she'll use her TTR250, I'd probably use the KTM640ADV...if it's still in one piece after the TAT and that's how we'd have gone this time if the KTM had been available

 

[Timolgra]

We arrive in Saudarkroker weary after a long day, get the tent up in the 'municipal' campsite and I secretly watch the energetic women's football team doing their stretches after workout whilst Ange goes takes a shower.

Then go to town to check out the action.

Most ride reports include many photos of scrumptious, high cholersterol meals and you may have noticed them lacking here.
That's not because I don't enjoy them, we simply never ate out in the evenings.
I did all the camp cooking but after the previous evenings disaster which involved an extra large can of meatballs (I had to double check, mid first mouthful, weren't in fact dog food) I thought Ange deserved an even bigger treat.
After all, we'd had one hell of a day and she was on honeymoon......but it was the only time we did eat out as I didn't want her losing the taste for my pasta specials (she was genuinly impressed at me tipping pasta into a carrier bag with holes in it to drain, eat ya heart out Jamiefeckin Oliver).


So we go to the pub/restaurant, drink beer and eat good food, puffin sandwiches were on the menu.

Then a right old romantic stroll down to the beach in the first warm sunshine we'd had.

I was on a roll, not only had she had the best days riding of her life and had a dream come true, I bought her a great dinner, got her half pissed on Icelandic beer, she hadn't noticed me oggling the women's football team. has half a packet of cigarettes and she's wearing dark glasses.

 

[Timolgra]

Now it's not every girl who on her honeymoon get's dragged on a 180 mile round ride through freezing sea mist, genuinely scared to death of the huge drops off the road into the sea to the point of being in tears, and for what?........to visit a herring museum of course. Lucky, lucky girl!

That's where we're going next sweetheart

"WHOOPEE" she says unconvincingly.

 

[davidgibson999]

Superb photos Tim.
Stunning place

 

[NeilF]

Now it's not every girl who on her honeymoon get's dragged on a 180 mile round ride through freezing sea mist, genuinely scared to death of the huge drops off the road into the sea to the point of being in tears, and for what?........to visit a herring museum of course. Lucky, lucky girl!

 

[ChubbyThumper]

So we go to the pub/restaurant, drink beer and eat good food, puffin sandwiches were on the menu.

ya didn't eat a poor oul puffin? Didya?

 

[Timolgra]

ya didn't eat a poor oul puffin? Didya?

Couldn't catch the bugger mate, so had lamb chops

 

[sijohnston]

Another great RR Tim. Thanks and congrats to you both!

 

[Timolgra]

I'm away to have a look at the Trans American Trail in the morning so will finish this RR in a few weeks.

There's plenty more drivel to come from willys and whales to bikes and boats

 

[denny]

Congratulations & thanks for sharing your awesome pics