Cycling The Iceland Divide
550 Km From Akureyri to Vik
Bicycle Touring with Edoardo Bernascone
DISTANCE
550 Km/ 342 Miles
DAYS
8
SURFACE
All Off road. 20% sand (I had 2.10 tires and I had to push a lot)
SETUP
Otrlieb & Missgrape
Handlebar pack
Saddle Bag
Top Tube Bag
Rear Panniers
A small packpack
BIKE
Mtb Trek Xcaliber 2015
If you like desert, harsh and dramatic landscapes and you like to challenge yourself with tough weather and bad roads than you are in the right place.
Cycling through Iceland is not a joke and you have to be well organize in terms of food and gears, but once you are ready is totally rewarding and you will be cycling in unique and incredible wilderness.
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Iceland is crazy expensive. I carried all my food from Italy. 20 portions of dry risotto with different tastes, 30 bars, and 1 kg of oats.
Along the trail, there are no points of resupply, so you have to carry all the food from the beginning. There are 3 refuges where you can have a very expensive meal but no way to resupply (Nyidalur camping, a restaurant before entering in Landmannalaugar area, and the Alftvan hut).
Consider also to carry gas or fuel for at least 10 days. I was carrying two gas canisters. Easy to find and buy in Iceland.
Water is drinkable and easy to find almost everywhere, just make sure to be far enough from farms, especially at the beginning of the trail. A few times I was using an MSR water filter when the water was a little sandy.
I did wild camping most of the time. Inner Iceland is like a huge campground, just make sure to find a spot safe from the wind.
In the first part of the trail, there are also some mountain huts where you can sleep and take a rest from the wind, some of them are really nice and comfortable (Two of these huts are not for free and you should leave the money in a small box inside). Outside the trail, I slept in campsites, and the price was between 15 – 20 Euros.
Be sure you and your bike are in enough good shape. I have been cycling alone most of the time with anyone around especially in the first part till I reach the road F26.
There are no easy detours and if you brake or damage something, in your bike or your body, you have to get out with your own energies.
In a few sections, you don’t have a good phone signal but in general, it was better than expected considering the remoteness. I would suggest strong rims for the bike (I broke 2 spokes) and big tires, at least 2.40.
I was using 2.10 and I had to walk most of the sandy sections. I downloaded this track from Bikepacking.com and I followed the route completely. You can find useful information also there
I’m not encouraging breaking the law, but bear in mind that this sort of trip where you spend most of your time by yourself or in nature is much safer than staying in a city, no matter how anti-social you might consider yourself.
THINGS TO SEE ALONG THE ROUTE
Iceland is not famous for historical sites or cultural stuff but nature is unique and great. You will see: The untouched wilderness Endless lava fields The biggest glacier in Europe and the fourth in the world, The Vatnajokull.
Mountains entirely covered by moss in the area of Landmannalaugar The puffin bird once you arrive in the city of Vik by the coast
MY EXPERIENCE
It was my first time in Iceland. I was very skeptic at the beginning as it was looking to me very touristic, especially in the summer months.
I was happy to realize that I was wrong, most of the tourists were stuck on the coast and on the ring road (the only tarmac road) and few of them took the offroad to reach the earth of Iceland.
Even if it was only a few days I had the feeling to be really far away like the Pamirs in Tajikistan or Ladakh in India. This was Iceland to me: the closest place to feel far
