Iceland is such a fascinating country with a unique landscape totally different from any other in northern Europe. Due to its position straddling the mid Atlantic ridge and its proximity to the Arctic Circle Iceland is a landscape of contrasts. From the extensive glaciers and snow capped mountains amidst cold deserts to the geothermal areas of hot boiling mud pools and Geysers. Add in some lava fields, black sand beaches and more thunderous waterfalls than you can shake a stick at and you will have had an experience that you will never forget.
Iceland has some excellent and challenging cycling touring opportunities. The scenery is stunningly varied with many marked contrasts. From quiet rolling pastures, coastal plains of black sands, dramatic waterfalls, to the tougher desert and mountainous areas of the interior with enormous glaciers that cut right down to the sea. The interior with its wild beauty and remoteness wide vistas, big skies, amazing colours and with the complexity of Iceland’s wonderful northern light. Iceland has it all.
The Icelandic population is relatively small and although the icelandic people are generally reticent, we found them very friendly and welcoming. The climate is generally much cooler than that of mainland Europe due in part to it's latitude and being surrounded by the cold atlantic. Weather can be varied as it can pick up the fall force of the incoming fronts rolling in from the Atlantic and cold northerly winds coming down from the arctic, so therefore be prepared for a mix of weather from sunny but cool weather to cold, strong winds and rain.
Cycle Paths
You may find the odd piece of cycle path in Reykjavik and some of the larger towns in Iceland but they are few and far between. In some regions you are more likely to see a horse path running alongside the roads rather than a cycle path!
Cycle Routes
As far as I'm aware there are no official marked long distance cycle routes in Iceland. There are several cyclists who seem to cycle around the ring road route 1, although by doing this you will see a lot of Iceland but you will miss out the interior and the off the beaten track parts of Iceland therefore missing out a lot of what Iceland is all about. I know Iceland is expensive to get to and can be expensive while you are there, but if you are going to do it justice you have to give yourself plenty of time and be prepared to go back!
Campsites
There are around 125 registered campsites in Iceland and many other un registered campsites, there is a good map of the campsites in Iceland on the Nordic Adventure Travel site here. You will have to plan you route carefully as the sites can be spread apart. Generally we found that most campsites were of a good standard and provided good facilities. Most sites provided good pitches, a sheltered place to cook, good washrooms with hot water and good un-metered showers that were usually included in the price, with only a few sites charging for showers. The campsite have a star grading system and there is an explanation of the ratings on this pdf here. There is a free booklet with details of all the sites available from most tourist offices.
Although accommodation generally in Iceland is expensive, camping is relatively cheap and much cheaper than you would pay in the UK. Prices start at around 500kr per person for a basic cold water site and for an average site with showers included it is 700 - 800kr per person. The most expensive sites we stayed in were 1000kr per person.
If you are fond of an early night be prepared for a certain amount of noise at some campsites into the late evening. Often in the campsite rules the 'Quiet between' times can be quite late, at one site it stated 'No noise between 01.00 and 8.00!
Wild camping is not actively encouraged due to the fragile nature of most of the terrain, although the UST site does say on public rights that:
"Camping with no more than three tents is allowed on uncultivated ground for a single night, unless the landowner has posted a notice to the contrary. However, campers should always use designated campsites where they do exist. Do not camp close to farms without permission. If a group of more than three tents is involved, these campers must seek permission from the landowner before setting up camp outside marked campsite areas"
It is prohibited to camp in the National parks unless on the designated campsites and we understand that Park Rangers may well impose a fine on those caught.
There is a network of mountain huts in Iceland, they are usually small and offer basic sleeping bag accommodation and run by various touring and outdoor clubs. There is a good map which shows them on the NAT site here. In the summer months they are popular and you will usually need to book your accommodation in advance. The Iceland Touring Association has 13 mountain huts situated mainly in the interior.
The
best maps for cycling are the Ferdakort maps.
At a scale of 1:250,000 you get the whole of Iceland
on 3 maps. For a map of this scale the detail
is very good and with their recent re-survey of
2005/2006 they are reasonably well up to date.
They have contour shading with contour intervals
of 50m. Road distances are given in km between
most major intersections and there is good information detail
with the petrol stations, accommodation and most of the tourist
points of interest marked. The road surfaces are marked with red for tarmac, brown for gravel roads and yellow for gravel back roads.
Although these maps come in a plastic wallet unfortunately they are printed on thin paper and tend to split easily on the fold lines if repeatedly folded and unfolded, if you are not careful you can end up with ribbon maps, so you will need to take care of them.
The maps are readily available in most book shops and tourist information centers in Iceland.
The Iceland Travel Guide - Published by Lonely Planet Publications ISBN 9781741045376 A very useful guide to all things in Iceland.
The Globetrotter Travel guide - Published by New Holland Publishers
ISBN 1-84537-012-0 A compact little guide with info on the main points of interest in the various areas of Iceland with a small map useful for initial planning.
All the major towns have supermarkets and shops but the further you get away from Reykjavik and the south and west the less shops there are in the smaller villages, some of the petrol stations particularly in rural areas have a small grocery section.. If your route doesn't take in many towns then you will need to stock up on food when you can and be prepared to carry food for several days. There are absolutely no shops in the interior please see the note below.
Buses & Ferries
There are no trains in Iceland, but there are plenty of buses that connect the main towns and villages. In the main tourist season there are also numerous excursion buses that link the main tourist areas and sites. All of the bus scheduled services and excursion buses that we used were geared up to taking bikes on their vehicles. Remember it is still at the discretion of the driver as to whether they think there is space available to take your bikes, so a bit of politeness doesn't go a miss. In peak times in the summer there can be a fair few fellow tourers trying to get on the buses, particularly if the weather is bad. At Þorlakshöfn ferry terminal we saw 8 bikes being loaded onto a small coach, we were amazed that they all fitted in! You will find it easier to get your bikes on to the buses if you board at recognised stopping places rather than flagging them down en-route. There is a charge for the carriage of bikes and this can be between 1000kr to 2000kr per bike depending on the distance traveled.
With the coaches our bikes were stored in the luggage compartments underneath and with the small minibuses some had their rear seats removed or a trailer had been added to take luggage and the bikes. On a couple of occasions with small minibuses the bikes were carried on a bike rack attached to the trailer hitch on the back of the minibus. The bus drivers usually like to optimise the space they have available and will expect you to remove all your panniers and make the bikes as small as possible especially if there are several bikes. Have your tools handy, as you will almost certainly be asked to remove the front wheel, rotate the handle bars and lower or remove the seat post.
After talking to a couple of French girls who were touring on a tandem this year they said they had had no problems in getting their tandem on to an Icelandic bus. I didn't gather which route they traveled on, but they even reckoned that it had gone in the luggage compartment underneath and that they weren't asked to disassemble it to get it in. Mind you that might have been down to the cute smile and the french accent!
Listed below are the main bus companies that operate scheduled and excursions services in Iceland.
Bus Companies
Netbus Iceland - Operate scheduled and excursion buses from Reykjavik along the south part of Iceland
SBA- Norðurlieð - Operates routes between Akureyri and Reykjavik over the Kolur route and also between Myvatn, Húsavik and Dettifoss.
Trex - For buses from Reykjavik to the west, north and north east of Iceland.
Reykjavik Excursions - They run various day excursions to most of the main tourist areas in Iceland.
Vatnajokull Travel - They operates a daily bus service between Höfn and Eglisstadir using a small minibus and trailer.
Ferries
Seatours operate a ferry service to Flatey Island and the Westfjords. The ferry 'Baldur' does a daily crossing of Breiðafjörður Bay between Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes peninsula and Brjánslækur in the north. You can break your journey on the island of Flatey. The trip takes 1.5 hours to Flatey Island and 2.5 hours to Brjánslækur.
Eimskip operate a ferry service to Vestmannaeyjar. The ferry 'Herjólfur' does two sailings a day throughout the year between Þorlákshöfn and Vestmannaeyjar and the trip takes approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, sometimes longer in foul weather.
There are absolutely no shops in the interior where you can pick up supplies. If you intend to cross or travel in the interior you will need to carry plenty of dehydrated food
with you to cover the time that you will be there plus some extra emergency food just incase of bad weather or slow progress.
If you are heading into the interior
fresh water can be a problem in some parts near to the glaciers as the rivers have
glacial melt water and this water is not potable due to its mineral and sediment content.
Icelandic roads
Not all of Iceland's roads are
tarmac, 85% of the ring road route 1 is tarmac, the
rest is a gravel surface. Most of the roads across
the interior are gravel roads and the surface can
be quite rutted and loose in places. There are some roads which are sandy and progress can be slow.
You will need good tyres to cope
with the gravel roads. Due to the loose gravel
and sand wider tyres are best. We took 42mm wide Schwalbe
Marathon XR's and we were glad of their width and
toughness!
The gravel roads can be tough on the
'Derriere' as the passing 4X4's and cars can produce a 'Washboard' surface. Either a sprung saddle or a suspension
seat post is useful. One of the German lads we met
broke his seat clamp on the gravel roads of the Kolur route and had to catch a bus to Reykjavik to get a new one.
Some of gravel roads in the interior highlands can be quite steep in places and with a loose surface can be nigh on impossible to keep traction on with a loaded touring bike. On several occasions we had to push the bikes up some of the steeper hills which makes for tough going and slow progress.
For up to date information on the state of the Icelandic roads, visit the Vegagerðin (Icelandic Road Administration) site for a visual map of roads conditions, showing roadwork's, roads that are closed, roads that are only passable by 4X4's and the current weather conditions with temperatures and wind speeds.
In the winter most of the interior mountain roads will be blocked by snow and some roads will not be free of snow until mid June to early July. The Vegagerðin (Icelandic Road Administration) publish weekly during the first weeks of summer a information map on the mountain road conditions as well as information on the opening times for the mountain roads.
River crossingsin the interior
When traveling on roads in the
interior you will find that not all the rivers have
bridges and the crossing points may be fords. Most but not all the
fords are marked on the Ferdakort maps by a 'V' symbol.
Some of these fords are shallow and can be managed easily others are wide and deep and are a more serious undertaking. The depth of these fords will depend on the amount
of recent rainfall and the seasonal melt water. If you are in
any doubt as to state of the river fords on your route it is best
to enquire at the local tourist information office
before setting out or the wardens of the mountain huts on route. If you do need to cross the rivers
first check up and down stream to see if there is a footbridge as on some of the deeper fjords near popular walking areas they are sometimes provided to the side away from the road crossing point. If there is no footbridge assess the current, the nature of the river bed and the depth first to choose the shallowest and best crossing
point. Do not wade across in bare feet, wear something on you feet to protect them from sharp rocks and to give you better grip on the slippery rocks.
Depending on the weather and the time of the year the water can be numbingly cold, therefore some cyclists carry neoprene sailing boots especially
for this purpose. We used our Teva sandals which we have as camp shoes, they have a gave good grip sole and although they have no insulation as soon as the feet were dry and back in dry socks and boots they soon warmed up. Fast flowing
rivers will strip out the grease in the bottom bracket
and axles of your bike, therefore if the river is deeper than your bottom bracket and axles consider ferrying your panniers across first and then
carry your bike across on your shoulder.
Wind
Strong winds can be a serious problem in
Iceland, particularly if it's a side or head wind. We were nearly blown off the road on a couple of occasions.
Heading into a head wind can seriously reduce your speed. We met a German couple on the the Highland Kolur route going South to North, due to a 25 -30 mph head wind and going up hill they had only managed to cover 25km in 2 days. If you are lucky and the wind is behind you youcan
do some amazing speeds, coming over the Highland route
we managed to do 15mph on the flat without pedaling!
Due to the high winds and lack of vegetation in the interior dust storms can
be a problem in some parts, so good rap-around glasses and a scarf
for the mouth can be useful.
Weather
Be prepared for cold days and nights
in summer, while we were there in late July and August 2007 the day time temperatures
varied between +5 to +14C, with some nights in the interior near to
freezing. Take appropriate warm and wind proof clothing and good layering system so that you can adjust your warmth
to the varied conditions. We found a pair of warm
gloves and a warm hat with ear protection essential.
This year in 2008 touring at the same time of year we had much warmer temperatures with Iceland having a heat wave with temperatures about 10 degrees hotter than normal, one day we in the western fjords we had a temperature of 26ºC the hottest day there since about 1940, but don't count on the same conditions in the future!
It can rain in
Iceland, so good waterproofs including leggings, overshoes
and gloves are a necessity.
Language
English is the Icelandic peoples second language and all but a few of the older icelanders speak good English. They are taught it at school and are use to watching English and American TV with Icelandic sub-titles.
Toilets
There aren't that many public toilets
in Iceland. Neither are there many trees or large
rocks to dodge behind, so do a Prince Charles and take
every opportunity to go when you do see a public loo!
Tunnels
There are eight main tunnels in Iceland, all of which are open to cyclists and one that is banned to cyclists.
The Hvalfjarðargöng tunnel 5.7km under the Hvalfjördur on route 1 is banned to cyclists and you will need to take the 47 which goes around the Hvalfjördur fjord as the alternative route.
The Vestfjarðagöng tunnel 7km on the 60 and 65 between Flateyri, Suðureyri and Isafjordur has a junction in the middle. The tunnel going from the Flateyri side to the junction in the middle with the tunnel coming from Suðureyri is single carriageway with passing places and not very well lit, priority is given to north bound vehicles and vehicles coming south from Isafjordur have to pull in to the passing places. From the junction in the middle to the Isafjordur it is 3.5km, two way and well lit.
For a list of all the tunnels and the 20 other 'in project' tunnels see this web page.
Iceland Express - Cheap flights to Iceland every day with Iceland's low-fare airline .
If you are flying into Keflavik airport with your bikes you need to be warned that the airport terminal is a bike free zone and that you will not be allowed to reassemble your bikes until you are outside the terminal building. You might find it useful to know that the Alex campsite at Keflavik is well geared up for cycle tourers and does have a free bike bag and box storage facility. They also run a scheduled airport taxi service with a minibus and trailer, which costs a very reasonable 300kr per person. On your arrival look for the 'Alex' desk in the arrivals hall to book the taxi service to the campsite.
Unfortunately the Smyril
Line have abandoned their ferry service between Scrabster and Sey∂isfjör∂ur in Iceland for the 2009 season.
Touring Notes: Iceland - Ivan Viehoff's very useful Iceland info. based on several tours in Iceland between 1995 and 2005. Well worth a read for additional information.
Mike Erens’ Iceland Pages - A Dutch guy with wealth of information and photos. He has a great links page with a list of Icelandic tour reports.
There is a Tourist information Office in most of the major towns and tourist areas. They have information on places of interest in their local area and sell maps of the area. They are usually most helpful and will sell you tickets for the buses, excursions and local attractions using a voucher system which is quite handy.
Welcome to Iceland - General information on places of interest, accommodation, history, geology and travelers facts for Iceland.
North Iceland -General information on places of interest, accommodation, events and what to do in north Iceland.
General Information
NAT
- The National Adventure Travel site. A very useful
travel guide site with information on accommodation,
buses, ferries, internal flights and practical information.
Iceland is such a fascinating country with a unique landscape totally different from any other in northern Europe. Due to its position straddling the mid Atlantic ridge and its proximity to the Arctic Circle Iceland is a landscape of contrasts. From the extensive glaciers and snow capped mountains amidst cold deserts to the geothermal areas of hot boiling mud pools and Geysers. Add in some lava fields, black sand beaches and more thunderous waterfalls than you can shake a stick at and you will have had an experience that you will never forget. 
There are around 125 registered campsites in Iceland and many other un registered campsites, there is a good map of the campsites in Iceland on the Nordic Adventure Travel site 
The
best maps for cycling are the Ferdakort maps.
At a scale of 1:250,000 you get the whole of Iceland
on 3 maps. For a map of this scale the detail
is very good and with their recent re-survey of
2005/2006 they are reasonably well up to date.
They have contour shading with contour intervals
of 50m. Road distances are given in km between
most major intersections and there is good information detail
with the petrol stations, accommodation and most of the tourist
points of interest marked. The road surfaces are marked with red for tarmac, brown for gravel roads and yellow for gravel back roads.
There are no trains in Iceland, but there are plenty of buses that connect the main towns and villages. In the main tourist season there are also numerous excursion buses that link the main tourist areas and sites. All of the bus scheduled services and excursion buses that we used were geared up to taking bikes on their vehicles. Remember it is still at the discretion of the driver as to whether they think there is space available to take your bikes, so a bit of politeness doesn't go a miss. In peak times in the summer there can be a fair few fellow tourers trying to get on the buses, particularly if the weather is bad. At Þorlakshöfn ferry terminal we saw 8 bikes being loaded onto a small coach, we were amazed that they all fitted in! You will find it easier to get your bikes on to the buses if you board at recognised stopping places rather than flagging them down en-route. There is a charge for the carriage of bikes and this can be between 1000kr to 2000kr per bike depending on the distance traveled.
With the coaches our bikes were stored in the luggage compartments underneath and with the small minibuses some had their rear seats removed or a trailer had been added to take luggage and the bikes. On a couple of occasions with small minibuses the bikes were carried on a bike rack attached to the trailer hitch on the back of the minibus. The bus drivers usually like to optimise the space they have available and will expect you to remove all your panniers and make the bikes as small as possible especially if there are several bikes. Have your tools handy, as you will almost certainly be asked to remove the front wheel, rotate the handle bars and lower or remove the seat post.
When traveling on roads in the
interior you will find that not all the rivers have
bridges and the crossing points may be fords. Most but not all the
fords are marked on the Ferdakort maps by a 'V' symbol.
Some of these fords are shallow and can be managed easily others are wide and deep and are a more serious undertaking. The depth of these fords will depend on the amount
of recent rainfall and the seasonal melt water. If you are in
any doubt as to state of the river fords on your route it is best
to enquire at the local tourist information office
before setting out or the wardens of the mountain huts on route. If you do need to cross the rivers
first check up and down stream to see if there is a footbridge as on some of the deeper fjords near popular walking areas they are sometimes provided to the side away from the road crossing point. If there is no footbridge assess the current, the nature of the river bed and the depth first to choose the shallowest and best crossing
point. Do not wade across in bare feet, wear something on you feet to protect them from sharp rocks and to give you better grip on the slippery rocks.
Depending on the weather and the time of the year the water can be numbingly cold, therefore some cyclists carry neoprene sailing boots especially
for this purpose. We used our Teva sandals which we have as camp shoes, they have a gave good grip sole and although they have no insulation as soon as the feet were dry and back in dry socks and boots they soon warmed up. Fast flowing
rivers will strip out the grease in the bottom bracket
and axles of your bike, therefore if the river is deeper than your bottom bracket and axles consider ferrying your panniers across first and then
carry your bike across on your shoulder.
