Iceland May 2015............!

[Farmer Palmer]

It's about this time of year that I book next years flight to Iceland and I still have unfinished business cycling around the Ringroad..............I've still got around half of it to ride so on this trip i'll hopefully be pedalling around five hundred miles(weather permitting)

I'll cycle from Keflavik(the airport) to Sellfoss either via Reykjavik or Grindavik(around 80 miles) and then take the bus out to Kirkjubaerklauster and continue my journey anti clockwise starting with the desolate Skeidararsandur to Skaftafjall and then Hofn before riding through the Eastfjords which should be character building.

My last trip in May 2014 was hampered by bad weather early season but there were a few of us hardy cyclists on the road and I broke my journey by visiting some friends who farm aswell a trip out to the island of Vestmannaeyjar(Heimaey) and then returning to Reykjavik and hiring a jeep from www.cheepjeeps.is and touring the Westfjords for a few days.

It would have been nice to take my GS over on the ferry from Denmark but I've only got limited time and cycling keeps me fit!

Here's a few photos of my last visit.

 

[Farmer Palmer]

I have a few friends who have dairy farms in Iceland and its always nice to stop and visit..............I usually give them a hand for a day or so and this farm is near Vik and its a dairy aswell as growing carrots and occaisionally barley...........The Icelandic sheepdog is called Loki and he is a star!

 

[Farmer Palmer]

The area near the farm around Solheimasjokull and Solheimasandur is amazing! The DC3 was low on fuel and landed on the beach in 1973 and was stripped for parts and left there...........The glacierar Solheimasjokull is dark, dirty and is retreating at an alarming rate.........I couldn't believe how far up the valley it was compared to my first visit in 2005.

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Riding across the empty wind blown Sandurs is an amazing experience and the lupine has been planted in an effort to stop erosion aswell as damage to vehicles from the wind blown grit...........It's a long empty road though and must be at least forty miles before you can get a cup of coffee at a café!

Sometimes you cycle through a large lava field and this one at Eldhraun is covered in a thick springy moss.

 

[doyle]

Would it be cost effective to keep a bike over there since you go most years?

I do know your auld pusher is not cheap tho!

 

[Posh Pete]

Yon DC3 features in a BMW promo film for the 12GS WC.

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Would it be cost effective to keep a bike over there since you go most years?

I do know your auld pusher is not cheap tho!

That's the question I've thought about a lot.............I fancied keeping an old F650GS there but wouldn't want to impose on my friends although I've been offered the use of an HP2 Enduro on several occaisions. Hiring a GS(or any bike) is quite expensive(£110 per day) as is hiring a 4x4(£100+ per day and nearly £300 for a Landrover Defender) unless you get it from www.cheepjeeps.is(around £28 per day) in which case you'll need a wee bit of mechanical knowledge or at least sympathy for the mega mileage vehicle you get from them. Their reputation is dreadful with awful reviews online but my experience has been good so far and I quite like the folk who run the company...........I think a lot of folk expect a new car like Hertz supply but for less than half or even quarter of the price and they are only ever going to be disappointed!

Flying my Thorn Sherpa out to Iceland only costs around £25 and it's only the Icelanders who charge for the return trip and I've done that three times so far without too much damage although I wouldn't be so keen on letting the baggage handlers loose with a Curly Hetchins!

Here's my cheapjeep an 04 278,000km Grand Vitara but it was perfect for where I was going and no-one gave a sh*t about me throwing my bike in and out of the back of it!

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Yon DC3 features in a BMW promo film for the 12GS WC.

I spent ages looking for that thing on the beach without realising you can actually see it in the distance from my friends kitchen window................!

 

[Dansin]

That looks great. I'd love to take my bike over there but am I correct in thinking it's become the new Morocco for 'adventure riders'?

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Early season(late May) which is when I go due to work commitments is really quiet and the country is basically empty.............I'm guessing there's a lot of European bikers and 4x4's there mid summer.

I've been in late October aswell but that isn't for the feint hearted especially if you're driving long distance and the weathers bad............!

In May I've been the only person on some campsites and have mostly camped for free and it's nice to arrive at a waterfall or glacier and have the place to yourself.............Iceland is getting much busier now and the tourist numbers are well up. At some of the natural attractions they've even put up guardrails, viewing platforms and even walkways to keep folk on track.

Saw only one GS on my last trip as I was battling into a headwind and he waved as he passed...........B*stard!

I really like getting off the beaten track away from where the Hertz and 'Lonely Planet' people go and I often meet hardy cyclists and other travellers who are going it alone around the island and its always good to stop for a while and swap stories etc!

 

[Dansin]

Thanks for the cheepjeeps tip FP. I passed it on to my sister in law who went for a long weekend a couple of weeks ago. They hired a cheap jeep which only cost them £40 a day and had a great time visiting placers without needing to be on a tourist trip.

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Fantastic............Glad it worked out!

FP.

 

[westride]

Interesting, can they make a living from milk? Looks like the cow numbers are low!! I would enjoy a farm visit, always brings you inline with people who live & work there. I did they same in NZ on a rented BMW 800 GS. Must visit Iceland, Looking at Norway again this year, could I visit Iceland too, do some cycling, keep my GSA for Norway in early July?? Enjoyed reading your report/info.

 

[Farmer Palmer]

My friends who farm say they can't produce enough milk, lamb or beef and the country is very loyal to their own produce.............How much money the farmers make is another matter as most of the farms are small and often run by the women in the family unless they are large enough to employ the whole family!

One of my friends who also has the www.Icelanderups.is visitor farms at at www.Thorvaldeyri.is has around fifty milking cows and has a robot but as far as Icelandic farming goes their farm is state of the art and they were very innovative using hydro power and geothermal heating well before anyone else in the district!

They're one of the few farms that grow barley and oilseed rape and sell the oil for cooking and use the meal for cattle feed............Always a pleasure to visit and see how their crops and livestock are looking!

FP.