How do you rate the TTR for this sort of journey compared to the GS?
ICELAND - A game of three halves
- Thread starter Timolgra
- Start date
Depends on the rider, Tim French rode his 1200adv brilliantly as you'll see later
the thought of whinging GS'ers on their 1st or 2nd day was enough to revise their route
.. and I'm grateful.
After riding that stunning trail we eventually reach the promised 'T' junction and head east.
We bump into this Czech father and his two sons, he's on the Jawa but didn't want to be pictured with it in case anyone assumed it had broken down
What had 'broken down' though was his son's 1150GS, the main reason I stopped because they had it in pieces as it wouldn't start, it was "dead" they told me,
I flipped the kill switch to run and was proclaimed to have golden hands
we all laughed
It's time for tea and food.
Then a couple of river crossings, the same ones in fact that the third half would be introduced to in a couple of weeks.
Soon we're making good progress north up the F35, Kjölur route and camp just over half way up at Hveravellir.
Breaking camp for an early start and my bike's dead!
I go through all basic checks to no avail and slowly panel by panel the bike's coming apart even taking the ignition switch off and checking it.
FFS!!
I have no multi meter and use a length of wire to bypass any potential breaks in the loom.
Anyway, to cut a very flippin long story short, a wire in the back of the ignition switch had broken right next to the contact behind the sheathing.
I'd fitted a manual fan override switch so determined which contacts to make and used that to make my own ignition switch.
Simple fault, simple fix but it took 5 hrs to sort!!!
So much for an early start
This photo was on the information board at Hveravellir, strangely I thought of Toddy
We bump into this Czech father and his two sons, he's on the Jawa but didn't want to be pictured with it in case anyone assumed it had broken down
What had 'broken down' though was his son's 1150GS, the main reason I stopped because they had it in pieces as it wouldn't start, it was "dead" they told me,
I flipped the kill switch to run and was proclaimed to have golden hands
we all laughed
It's time for tea and food.
Then a couple of river crossings, the same ones in fact that the third half would be introduced to in a couple of weeks.
Soon we're making good progress north up the F35, Kjölur route and camp just over half way up at Hveravellir.
Breaking camp for an early start and my bike's dead!
I go through all basic checks to no avail and slowly panel by panel the bike's coming apart even taking the ignition switch off and checking it.
FFS!!
I have no multi meter and use a length of wire to bypass any potential breaks in the loom.Anyway, to cut a very flippin long story short, a wire in the back of the ignition switch had broken right next to the contact behind the sheathing.
I'd fitted a manual fan override switch so determined which contacts to make and used that to make my own ignition switch.
Simple fault, simple fix but it took 5 hrs to sort!!!
So much for an early start
This photo was on the information board at Hveravellir, strangely I thought of Toddy
We manage to stay off tarmac all the way to Blonduos on the ring road and eat..... in a restaurant!!
Getting late so press on to a lovely quiet campsite which we used last year.
We're treated to a glorious northern sunset.
I know that look so goodnight
Getting late so press on to a lovely quiet campsite which we used last year.
We're treated to a glorious northern sunset.
I know that look so goodnight
This photo was on the information board at Hveravellir, strangely I thought of Toddy
Oi he looks nothing like me
......the dog on the other hand does bear a resemblance
Oi he looks nothing like me
......the dog on the other hand does bear a resemblance
Exactly......
It would be too rushed to go to the Westfjords again to decide to head west and revisit the Snaefellsness Peninsular again as there was a track we were unable to complete last year due to snow.
Running more or less parallel to the ring road we try to stay off tarmac as much as possible.
There two ways to get there, either the main gravel road F59 or much more intriguing, the F536 which turns out to be a lovely remote trail where we saw no one and included several small river crossings.
We pause to enjoy the lush countryside.
Past the farms in this fertile valley we come to Eiriksstadir.
This is where Eirik the Red's son Leif Heppni (Leifur the Lucky) was born.
You may know of Eirik the Red, a Norwegian banished for manslaughter and settled in Iceland where he was exiled for 3 yrs for 'more killings'!
So he's a bit of a lad and go's off to become possibly the first to discover Greenland
The son Leif moved to Greenland and then sailed to Norway where the King was keen to promote Christianity throughout all the countries Norway had settled.
On his way back to Greenland Leif was blown off course so becoming the first European to set foot on North America (although there's much debate on this) at Newfoundland which he name Wineland.
That's it in a nut shell.
A reconstruction of a Viking long house was built as a museum, inside we're told stories of Eirik and Leif and how life may have been for people of that time.
There was a brief reference to the slaves but no one mentioned many of those slaves were actually Irish!
There's only a few people inside and we're encouraged by the young women who are our guides to also dress appropriately for the time as they tell us the stories.
It was a great stop, particularly as I almost rode straight past the place
Icelandic children listen intently.
Running more or less parallel to the ring road we try to stay off tarmac as much as possible.
There two ways to get there, either the main gravel road F59 or much more intriguing, the F536 which turns out to be a lovely remote trail where we saw no one and included several small river crossings.
We pause to enjoy the lush countryside.
Past the farms in this fertile valley we come to Eiriksstadir.
This is where Eirik the Red's son Leif Heppni (Leifur the Lucky) was born.
You may know of Eirik the Red, a Norwegian banished for manslaughter and settled in Iceland where he was exiled for 3 yrs for 'more killings'!
So he's a bit of a lad and go's off to become possibly the first to discover Greenland
The son Leif moved to Greenland and then sailed to Norway where the King was keen to promote Christianity throughout all the countries Norway had settled.
On his way back to Greenland Leif was blown off course so becoming the first European to set foot on North America (although there's much debate on this) at Newfoundland which he name Wineland.
That's it in a nut shell.
A reconstruction of a Viking long house was built as a museum, inside we're told stories of Eirik and Leif and how life may have been for people of that time.
There was a brief reference to the slaves but no one mentioned many of those slaves were actually Irish!
There's only a few people inside and we're encouraged by the young women who are our guides to also dress appropriately for the time as they tell us the stories.
It was a great stop, particularly as I almost rode straight past the place
Icelandic children listen intently.
With all those water crossings, do you develop 'trench foot'?
Would a quick change in and out of boat shoes/flip-flops be a better option?
Would a quick change in and out of boat shoes/flip-flops be a better option?
Ha funnily enough, Ange had asked me that morning if there would be any river crossings and would she need her sealskin socks, I said no, you'll be fine
Flipflops or boots?
Broken ankle or wet feet?
I was wearing a new pair of Sidi Adventure boots with Klim Gortex trousers sometimes with Gortex over trousers secured around the ankle with bands of old inner tube and still got feckin wet feet a few times
So I only wear Sealskins or plastic bags after my boots are wet.
Ha funnily enough, Ange had asked me that morning if there would be any river crossings and would she need her sealskin socks, I said no, you'll be fine
Flipflops or boots?
Broken ankle or wet feet?
I was wearing a new pair of Sidi Adventure boots with Klim Gortex trousers sometimes with Gortex over trousers secured around the ankle with bands of old inner tube and still got feckin wet feet a few times
So I only wear Sealskins or plastic bags after my boots are wet.
I was being semi serious - surely it takes ages to dry the boots or do they never dry properly all the trip
It does take ages, soon as we're camped up boots off and into the wind (if there was any) and standing upside down over night on the chair frame, socks drying under a bungy during next days ride.... it's what you do with no radiator and tumble dryer
So to set up camp early on a windy spot was bliss
If there are pictures of my bike on the 3rd half you will see some deck shoes upside down drying on top of the panniers when riding.
They will require binning at the end though as wet dry stinky mud dry wet rain dry stink isn't pleasant and fast reach a point I wouldn't put my feet near them.
This looks an amazing adventure, Kids will be grown up one day then im off....
Keep posting its a great read. on parr with Mike 'O I think.
Keep posting its a great read. on parr with Mike 'O I think.
We spotted several remote camp spots last year further along the peninsular, this one will do it even has a nearby stream.
Rumbled!
Ange discovers my stash of Hobnobs
Next morning I push my luck with Ange a little too far, it's been quite difficult to get up this unused track and we should turn back
Tea and cake in Grundarfjordur and she's happy again
We stop to take the obligatory photo at Kirkufell then set up camp for two nights at Olafsvik.
Rumbled!
Ange discovers my stash of Hobnobs
Next morning I push my luck with Ange a little too far, it's been quite difficult to get up this unused track and we should turn back
Tea and cake in Grundarfjordur and she's happy again
We stop to take the obligatory photo at Kirkufell then set up camp for two nights at Olafsvik.
Stunning piccies as always
Why thank you Ashley, I figure on taking loads then maybe a few will come out ok.
Unlike Lee on the third half who's like a genius fly fisherman who only casts when he's going to catch, say that he didn't once get his camera out but still took brilliant shots with his iPhone ...... sickening!
That's a pitch and a half in the top photo. Great read and some stunning pictures. You have even got a complete off rd novice like myself thinking i maybe able to keep myself in one piece to enjoy a trip like that.
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