ICELAND 2020 ... the Wet One

Everyday I look at these fantastic photos & accompanying tales and think 'I'd love to do this one day'. I know the reality is somewhat different though, I'd never be capable of putting up with the conditions. Proper mard arse to be honest.

I admire your grit & determination


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The rain didn't let up for a moment the whole night, the following day or that night so we took to the road to head further south and took an interesting 'Scandinavian' house for the night to once again dry ourselves out.

BUT the forecast for our last day's riding was warm sunshine, whoopee we were up early!! :cool:
 
Everyday I look at these fantastic photos & accompanying tales and think 'I'd love to do this one day'. I know the reality is somewhat different though, I'd never be capable of putting up with the conditions. Proper mard arse to be honest.

I admire your grit & determination


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Thanks for everyone's comments :beerjug:

I know what you're saying and this trip was particularly tough just because of the weather but think of it this way....

2020 has been a shite year for most of us and throughout it didn't seem likely these two trips would be possible due to all the Covid restrictions, with some juggling and commitment from everyone we slipped through the narrowest of windows to be here.

So when it's pissing down with rain, we're cold, wet, tired and battered ...... think of the alternative; Covid, media, politics, restrictions, UK crowds, more shite, at least we were out on our bikes making the best of it.:beerjug:
 
Thanks for everyone's comments :beerjug:

I know what you're saying and this trip was particularly tough just because of the weather but think of it this way....

2020 has been a shite year for most of us and throughout it didn't seem likely these two trips would be possible due to all the Covid restrictions, with some juggling and commitment from everyone we slipped through the narrowest of windows to be here.

So when it's pissing down with rain, we're cold, wet, tired and battered ...... think of the alternative; Covid, media, politics, restrictions, UK crowds, more shite, at least we were out on our bikes making the best of it.:beerjug:

Very apt, Tim

Thanks for the journey, through these pages

Your commitment & determination is portrayed through your pics and words
 
I take my hat off to you all. This sort of trip is totally beyond both my riding skills, and my ability to endure those levels of discomfort in such a hostile climate!!

An excellent read & photos, which has kept this armchair warrior very much entertained.

Well done.:beerjug:
 
The sun has got his hat on hip-hip-hip hooray
The sun has got his hat on
And he's coming out today
Now we'll all be happy
Hip-hip-hip hooray
The sun has got his hat on
And he's coming out today


The bikes need to be back in Reykjavik today and ordinarily we would play safe, get back in one piece then find a bar but the sun's shining and we 'need' a good ride.

I'm able to re use the route I first had a look at when I arrived.

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Bakes get's himself into a pickle :D

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Now we'll head towards a particular favourite

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What's he up to? :D

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Today was the reward and all those wet and windy times are in the past

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Lifting her skirt a little, Iceland shows us her splendors

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Great riding Stuart!

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It's been a ball :)

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Mindful of time we take in as many trails as possible back to the port in Reykjavik where the the dock workers smile as they tell us it's been the wettest August for 116 years.
 
That night I stay with my good friend Thostur and his lovely wife, he takes me out in the Landcruiser where I buy his dinner in an out of town Hard Rock Cafe.

Throstur moves his own bike out of the garage and into the rain which returned.

I have one day to rest, sort my bike with a change of gearing, a few tweaks before it all starts again.....except this time in good weather! :beerjug:

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Thanks for reading :thumb
 
Thanks for everyone's comments :beerjug:

I know what you're saying and this trip was particularly tough just because of the weather but think of it this way....

2020 has been a shite year for most of us and throughout it didn't seem likely these two trips would be possible due to all the Covid restrictions, with some juggling and commitment from everyone we slipped through the narrowest of windows to be here.

So when it's pissing down with rain, we're cold, wet, tired and battered ...... think of the alternative; Covid, media, politics, restrictions, UK crowds, more shite, at least we were out on our bikes making the best of it.:beerjug:

Absolutely the right way to look at it!
 
Probably a stupid question but what wild animals are there on Iceland? :nenau
Polar bears? Wolves? Or just foxes and rabbits etc....
Just wondering cos camping seems care free. Don’t want to wake up to something trying to make breakfast out of you! :eek:
 
Thanks for everyone's comments :beerjug:

I know what you're saying and this trip was particularly tough just because of the weather but think of it this way....

2020 has been a shite year for most of us and throughout it didn't seem likely these two trips would be possible due to all the Covid restrictions, with some juggling and commitment from everyone we slipped through the narrowest of windows to be here.

So when it's pissing down with rain, we're cold, wet, tired and battered ...... think of the alternative; Covid, media, politics, restrictions, UK crowds, more shite, at least we were out on our bikes making the best of it.:beerjug:

You're absolutely spot on there. Positive things happen to positive people

Thanks for sharing and a safe journey home chaps


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Probably a stupid question but what wild animals are there on Iceland? :nenau
Polar bears? Wolves? Or just foxes and rabbits etc....
Just wondering cos camping seems care free. Don’t want to wake up to something trying to make breakfast out of you! :eek:

Polar Bears are rare, only arriving in the north around Hornstrandir on small icebergs from Greenland as the currents run this way. When camped on the beach in that area your imagination can mess you up in the night if you let it :D They will be hunted and shot. (Greenland doesn't want them back, they're not indigenous to Iceland and the cost of transferring them to a zoo is prohibitive).


Arctic foxes do their best to avoid you although I've often had them running alongside the bike when I blocked their escape.
There are many reindeer in the east.

It's no different to travelling anywhere in the world by motorcycle, your biggest threat comes from the bike :)
 
Thanks for everyone's comments :beerjug:

I know what you're saying and this trip was particularly tough just because of the weather but think of it this way....

2020 has been a shite year for most of us and throughout it didn't seem likely these two trips would be possible due to all the Covid restrictions, with some juggling and commitment from everyone we slipped through the narrowest of windows to be here.

So when it's pissing down with rain, we're cold, wet, tired and battered ...... think of the alternative; Covid, media, politics, restrictions, UK crowds, more shite, at least we were out on our bikes making the best of it.:beerjug:


Wise words Tim.

I couldn't come on this year's trip as we had booked the same dates for a family holiday in Disney. When that got cancelled we re-arranged a trip to France, and when quarantine fecked that up I ended up doing a week in the Cotswolds with my in-laws :blast:eek:. I would definitely preferred to have been on the wet trip!:D

Thanks for sharing your story and pictures of an excellent adventure - it brought back fond memories of trail riding in that amazing country :beerjug:
 
Polar Bears are rare, only arriving in the north around Hornstrandir on small icebergs from Greenland as the currents run this way. When camped on the beach in that area your imagination can mess you up in the night if you let it :D They will be hunted and shot. (Greenland doesn't want them back, they're not indigenous to Iceland and the cost of transferring them to a zoo is prohibitive).


Arctic foxes do their best to avoid you although I've often had them running alongside the bike when I blocked their escape.
There are many reindeer in the east.

It's no different to travelling anywhere in the world by motorcycle, your biggest threat comes from the bike :)

Great write up Tim! Can safely say the trip was character forming when compared to previous years but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.

I found the biggest danger was Jon - bad influence that man!

Stuart was an inspiration on how a 500 EXC should be ridden - had to hop-slip-jump to mount like a push-bike on a few adverse cambers - must practice that particular manoeuvre a bit more as nearly didn't get away with it once - Stuart does 100% of the time strangely enough.

Thanks again Tim for leading the way and everyone for being such good company.

Next year?
 

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Probably a stupid question but what wild animals are there on Iceland? :nenau
Polar bears? Wolves? Or just foxes and rabbits etc....
Just wondering cos camping seems care free. Don’t want to wake up to something trying to make breakfast out of you! :eek:

On the second trip the funniest animals are the sheep, the bloody things don't know which way to run when a couple of KTM 640's disturb them in their grass munching at the side of the road.
We saw a couple of arctic foxes on the coastal track just before we got stuck on the beach when the tide cut us off.
Plenty of horses in fields, I mean plenty, bloody loads in some places.
I've seen bears at the side of the road in Romania on the transfagarasen highway and on the transalpina. That's mainland Europe and people wild camp everywhere over there.
 
Thoroughly enjoyed your write up for these trips Tim ,, thanks for taking the time :thumb2 .
Love Iceland ,,spent 3 weeks there with A 4x4 . Which was ok ,, but tame compared to you guys .
 
Great stuff, thanks for writing it up.
I always enjoy reading the Iceland reports.
 


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