Day 12 (18.7) – Stykkishólmsbær to Borgarnes
To my dismay, Stykkishólmsbær campsite had open outdoors showers. It had new toilets with plenty of space, but for some reason they installed the showers outside the building. It was quite chilly, so I decided not to use them. It didn’t have any other facilities. Camping one night was 12.5 €.
I filled the tank with 12 € and continued west through road 54. I stopped in this location to take the picture below.
In some town of the way I stopped to eat fish and cake for 31.2 €, but unfortunatelly I can’t recall where. So far so good, I continued my way to road 574 in order to visit Snæfellsjökull National Park. And that’s how I got in deep, deep trouble.
In Iceland, if you ride a motorcycle and cars flash their lights at you, they are probably warning you about strong winds. I didn’t know that, neither I knew how bad it could get. I just kept going and by the time I realized it, it was too late. I had such a strong side wind that, in a straight road, I leaned my bike more than I usually do in curves. Of course the wind blew in gusts, so I had to drive in esses to compensate. Because I couldn’t drive straight, I had to drive slow to stay in my lane. I knew that if I stopped or tried to turn around the wind would push me over, so I could only keep going. Moreover, there was a fog that prevented me from seeing much of the Park. I recently contacted the Icelandic Met Office and they kindly gave me the figures of that day and area: maximum wind speed 12 m/s, maximum gust speed 20 m/s.
Somehow I didn’t fall or went out of the road lane, and after several endless hours I could take shelter in the cafeteria of Hotel Rjúkandi. I spent 4.8 € in a hot chocolate to warm up, and I left a good tip because they were very kind and understanding with the mess I made with my wet clothes.
I had accommodation booked in Borgarnes, so I continued my trip despite the strong winds. Fortunately they were not as bad as in the tip of Snæfellsjökull.
Day 13 (19.7) – Borgarnes and Langjökull
In Borgarnes I took a badly needed break from campsites in Blómasetrið Homestay. This is a guesthouse that has everything you may want or need in the rooms, living room, kitchen and bathroom. The decoration and furniture creates a cozy home-like atmosphere. The people that run it were kind and helpful beyond duty. This was my best accommodation in Iceland and one of the best ever, I have no words to recommend it. It costed me 276.5 € for three nights.
I filled the tank with 16 € and I took road 52 east until I reached road F550. I went north through road F550, also known as Kaldidalur corridor. It had potholes and stones but wasn’t that interesting. The landscape wasn’t that special either, a flat of rocks with occasional mountains and patches of ice. I took the picture below in this location.
From F550, you can drive to the western edge of Langjökull glacier and have a walk on it. I took the picture below in this location.
At the north end of the F550 I met a couple that was travelling in a peculiar BMW with sidecar. They were waiting for the tow service due to problems with the engine. The lady told me that she had an uncomfortable ride due to the short suspension of the sidecar.
I went to visit Víðgelmir cave. For 52.3 € it wasn’t cheap, but it was worthy. Better than one of my pictures, check the gallery in their website.
My next stops were the Hraunfossar cascades, Barnafoss rapids, and Deildartunguhver hot spring. I will share a picture of the rapids, but you should definitely look for more in the Internet.
I took the shortest route back to Borgarnes. As I remember, everything besides the F550 was asphalt. I had dinner at Borgarnes N1 gas station for 20.2 € and went back to my cosy guesthouse.
Day 14 (20.7) – Gullfoss and Geysir
I filled the tank with 18 € and I went to do road F338 from west to east. F338 is a curly road that goes through flats and small hills, and follows the straight direction of some power lines. The landscape is beautiful, including some lavender fields. It has several kinds of surfaces, mostly stones and soil, but also some parts of black sand. In one of those sandy parts I lost control and fell off the bike. Luckily it was a slow and soft landing, and the only time I fell in the entire trip.
At the east end of the F338 there are two river crossings that you can see at the end of the video. If you are unsure I recommend you to start from the east, otherwise turning around means doing the entire road again. F338 in one of the nicest roads I did in Iceland. If you are a rookie like me, I recommend it as a first experience crossing wide streams.
That day I learnt an important lesson: wrap your sandwiches with foil. Otherwise they can end as in the picture below.
After road F338 I went to visit Gullfoss and Geysir, which are very close to each other. Gullfoss is almost as spectacular as Dettifoss. You can guess what the Geysir area is famous for. As a curiosity, the geyser that gave name to the phenomenon is currently inactive, but its neighbour Strokkur won’t disappoint you. And the amazing colors of the surrounding steaming pools are quite a sight on their own.
On my way back I think I took roads 37, 365 and 36, because what I have in my notes is that I spent 1.6 € on the toll of Hvalfjörður Tunnel. Back in Borgarnes, I spent 29.5 € in groceries and 20.1 € in standard lubricant oil. I made the mistake of taking an almost empty bottle of chain lubricant for the trip, and in a small town like Borgarnes I couldn’t find it.
Day 15 (21.7) – Borgarnes to Kerlingarfjöll
Time to leave the comfort of the guesthouse. I filled the tank with 23.3 € and crossed Hvalfjörður Tunnel again (1.6 €). I continued in the opposite direction as yesterday until I reached Hotel Geysir. There I had a pizza and an ice cream for 20.5 €. My plan was to do F35 north and the gas station next to the hotel is the last one until the end; so I filled the tank and the external containers with 22.3 €. The gas in the tank turned out to be enough, but I didn’t know then.
I followed road F35 north until Kerlingarfjöll. That part of the F35 is an average Icelandic dirt road with potholes and stones, not specially good or bad. The picture below was taken in this location. A few meters further, I lost a pannier again.
I set up my tent in Kerlingarfjöll, where I was going to stay two nights.
Day 16 (22.7) – Kerlingarfjöll
Kerlingarfjöll has all the facilities you may need, including a cafe-restaurant. My only complain is the space to dry the clothes indoors, definitely small for all the people that want to use it. Two nights in a tent costed 33 € and include unlimited hot showers, a very good price. Besides that, I only spent 3.6 € in a coffee. I was eating sandwiches that I made with my supermarket groceries.
That day I gave Vacaburra a break because there are several amazing trekking routes in the area. I first went to the natural hot pool near this location. The water was perfectly warm and there are two fountains to massage your neck. The location is incredible, in a canyon next to a river. It was the best bath of my life. Bear in mind that the place has a wooden platform but no closed place to change your clothes.
Then I took a trekking route. At some point it got a bit steep and there was snow and I was considering turning back. To be honest, it wasn’t that bad, it was me being lazy and not really into trekking. But then I remembered the motto of my trip, I haven’t come this far to come this far, so I continued. It paid off, because in this location I got to see one of the best landscapes of the trip. It had everything: hills, soil of multiple colors, patches of snow, patches of vegetation, steam vents… I felt sorry for the people who travel in normal rental cars, which cannot be driven in road F35.
When I arrived back to the camping I noticed three identical GS’s with almost consecutive Spanish plate numbers. I met one of the drivers and he told me that he and his friends bought the bikes together to get a discount. I was glad to meet some fellow Spaniards.
Day 17 (23.7) – Kerlingarfjöll to Hvammstangi
I had another 3.6 € coffee and picked my tent to continue north. Road F35 near Hveravellir has a perpendicular carving that makes the bike shake and the riding very annoying. I have seen such carving in roads in Finland, I guess it’s man-made. I first saw it in steep slopes and I thought it was for better traction. But then I also saw it in flats like in this case, and I wonder what’s the point. I didn’t take any proper picture of the road, but in this location there is a crossing where I took one of my favourite pictures of the entire trip.
That crossing is were road F735 takes you from F35 to Hveravellir‘s thermal springs and campsite. The area is not so spectacular and the facilities not so big as in Kerlingarfjöll, but it’s still a great place to stay and visit. There is also a natural pool of hot water, this one with a house to change your clothes next to it. I just stopped to visit the area and take pictures like the one below.
From Blöndulón road F35 gets flat, straight, wide and with a good surface. You could get there from the north in a normal car, but it’s still forbidden for rental cars. The interesting part is the views of lakes, mountains and glaciers. Don’t forget your binoculars.
This was the first gas station I reached. I only needed 7.1 € to fill the tank because I had been filling from the containers. It was a total of 254 kilometers between gas stations. Next to the station there is North West Hotel & Restaurant where I had a good dinner for 30.3 €. Finally, I reached Hvammstangi to stay overnight.