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Conference turris::scandia

Title:	All about Scandinavia

Moderator:	TLE::SAVAGE

Created:	Wed Dec 11 1985
Last Modified:	Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	603
Total number of notes:	4325

442.0. "Bicycle around Iceland?" by GUIDUK::ELLENBECKER (blue horizons) Wed Jan 02 1991 16:38

    
    I'm thinking of attempting to bicycle around Iceland.
    
    From all I've been able to read, this may be near impossible...  more
    of a expedition that a vacation.  However, I'll be riding a 'mountain
    bike' and carrying camping and cooking equipment... and expect
    a good adventure.
    
    As I understand the road around Iceland has just recently been completed
    and that only roads in or near the larger cities are paved.  Are
    these unpaved roads graded? (loose or crushed rock but otherwise
    reasonably maintained?)
    
    What months are the roads most passable? (I'm concerned about having
    to ford raging rivers with a bicycle in tow -or knee-deep mud -or endless
    rain)
    
    Are there towns with stores to buy essentials along these roads?
    
    How much do basic food items cost? (in US$)
    
    Do many people speak English?
    
    Is this nuts, or what?
    
    Thanks, Patrick

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
442.1	Suggestion	TLE::SAVAGE		`Mon Jan 07 1991 16:41`	8
	Hi, I've posted some news notes from the SOC.CULTURE.NORDIC newsgroup that have network addresses for Icelanders, If you don't get satifactory replies from participants in this notes conference, you may want to consider sending mail through one of Digital's gateways on NM%DECWRL. It's quite easy. If that won't do, the postal address are sometimes there also.
442.2	Twenty year old info	MSD52::ENMAN		`Fri Jan 11 1991 10:49`	27
	It's been almost 20 years since I was stationed in Iceland. Undoubtably some things have changed since then. I lived in the town of Keflavik, in the south western corner of Iceland. I was in the US Navy and attached to the NATO base there. It sounds like a great trip to me. The best times of year would be June, July and August. The population is very sparse outside of the south west coastal area. The population of the whole country is about 250K, and about half of them live around Reykjavik, the capital. A mountain bike would be necessary once off the main roads. The roads are (were) graded periodically, but tended to get like a wash board very quickly. The weather is variable, but one constant is a brisk wind. Temperatures in the summer were in the 50s and low 60s F. A hot day in Iceland is 72F but the breeze makes the heat bearable. ;-) Many of the Icelanders speak English, but that's less likely as you get away from Reykjavik. It's a beautiful country. I hope to get back there and see it again. Regards, Henry
442.3		HSOMAI::PALO	Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo.	`Sun Jan 13 1991 17:08`	23
	H� I'd confirm that the best time of year to go is July � 1month. There is a good article I read about some crazy Frenchies who did part of the "Hringlei�"... interesting, in French, but I'll copy it for you if you wish. (I'll try to dig it up, I just moved back to the States for awhile) The only place you'll have to worry about rivers across the roads is in the south; you should probably skip �safj�r�ur if you want to save a lot of time. M�vatn is neat (east of H�sav�k) as that's near where the Hrafla geothermal power station is (I liked it anyway, I got a lava flow that went on my birthday named after me -- this is that power station featured in the National Geographic special on Volcanoes). The winds will be disheartening, but you could help yourself out by sending your supplies ahead by plan e.g. to Akureyri/H�sav�k and to Egilsta�ur. Drink lots of Malt�l (Malt Extract, a wonderful drink -- like a near-Guiness!) and L�si (cod liver oil) -- they'll make you hardy! good luck Rikki