Great travel updates as always mate. Have an idea for your next birthday present lol
I left the hostel and took route 690 to join the southern road that winds west.
Two stars were on my adenda today, the Dynjandi waterfall in the north east and the remote Latrabjarg Bird cliffs in the south west:
By the time I got to the waterfall I had already put on my full waterproofs, as it was raining hard and blowing quite a gale. The road sign said the wind was 18m/s ie ~40mph.
Star 13! The rain didn’t help the camera, but you can get an idea of the scale if you look to the right at the size of the walkers!
On a clearer day I think this area would be stunning. I made a navigation error and ended up doing 70km more than I needed to along the wrong spur, losing an hour at least.
Star 14! Somewhere in the fog are the bird cliffs…
I had intended to take a 6pm ferry from the West Fjords south, to miss out a 200 mile section of road, but the navigation error and slow progress in the wind and rain meant the time was getting very tight.
Having missed the ferry by 15 minutes, I backtracked to dry out at the nearest hostel and plan the journey onwards.
Ahh, finally some proper Iceland weather for you 
Get ready to wear 8 layers if it gets cold.
Great stuff, and am amazed you’ve had such good weather - and space in hostels too! When we went everywhere just seemed totally full, booked weeks in advance.
Not felt any earthquakes? There seems to be one every few minutes at the moment … some quite big ones too, 5+
I left the North West hoping for a break in the weather. Nonetheless I still put on my full waterproofs, just in case.
Riding back along the same route I came in on was pretty dull, and with the same head-on wind and rain as the day before it was going to be another unpleasant day on the bike. Again, 16m/s is about 35mph ie blowy.
My destination in the West fjords called Arnarstapi.
The western peninsula was clearly experiencing the same weather I was hoping to leave in the north west.
The bad weather was at least broken up by a change in scenery; the west was evidently shaped by lots of volcanic activity.
The mountain at the peninsula is called Snæfellsjökull and serves as the entrance to the subterranean journey in Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. Riding up and over it towards star 15, I was in a cloud one side…
And clear on the other!
Without any guidance from the map about what exactly I was looking for, I eventually found Star 15!
I would have stayed in the west, as I found star 15 around 6:30pm. However the nearest hostel was full, the campsite at Arnarstapi was closed, and the weather was such that wild camping did not appeal. Instead I used a bit of mobile data to find myself a bed for the night in Borgannes, 90 minutes’ riding away - again through the same wind and rain. Happily, due to a mix-up at the hostel I ended up being shunted into a local hotel instead - result.
Star 15 is my favorite so far.
Star 16?
After a relaxed evening in the hotel I aimed at my next star - number 16 Hraunfossar.
Literally back on track to the next area where 17 and 18 were nestled, down the 550.
The Almannagja Rift cresting the mid-Atlantic range on the left side and historical settlement Thingvallir on the right, two stars in one!
Next the hunt was on for Kerid, taking me along route 360 and the beautiful Thingvallavatn lake.
Star 19 - Kerid, a volcanic crater lake!
I pitched at a scout camp on lake Thingvallavatn that claimed to have fish in their lake. The only thing that came out this lake was me, retrieving a snapped line! Brr!
Glad the weather’s back for you 
Thingvellir is awesome. The time I went to Kerid, it was covered in snow. Bjork famously did a concert in there
Good luck with the fishing! 
PS - your Thingvellir video says “video not available”?
Yeah for about 12 hours, this was from 27th. Currently I could not be wetter unless I was in the womb.:rolleyes:
Packing up camp last night I noticed I was missing an essential item! This photo should include a picture of a bicycle pump.
Luckily a large town, Selfoss, was on my route and so I stopped off to source a replacement - after all there’s not much point carrying tyre levers and a spare tube if I can’t pump up the tube.
A nice easy ride down Highway 1 to star 20 - Skogafoss!
My plan was to camp nearby, but the campsite was closed. Instead I pushed on to another I had read about just past Vik, along the 214. High up in the mountains lies Thakgil.
Overnight the weather had become severely wet and windy.
My tent was packed away soaking wet, and my gear didn’t stay dry long either.
After the ride back down the 214, I headed to a hostel at Vik to sit out the storm - but they were full 
Instead I pushed on, heading up the rough track to Axlarfoss - star 21!
The weather was now truly dreadful, with my helmet leaking from the rain, hands soaked and cold, and high winds. I rode on to the next petrol station at Kirkjubaejarklaustur to get some food and explore my options.
I pitched at a campsite in town, rolling out a sodden tent and mattress to call home for the third night in a row. Firing up the stove for an hour did an acceptable job of drying my things out.
An early start at 7am, I left my tent and gear at the campsite and backtracked to reach stars 22 and 23. With two river crossings marked on my map, and with much rain having fallen overnight I was concerned that I’d have problems in the deep water.
Riding straight up the F206 I managed to cross both rivers without issue, though I did walk them both first.
After about an hour’s riding I arrived at the furthest star - Laki.
Laki is meant to be an area of outstanding beauty, having been shaped by volcanic activity and giving the intrepid hiker a panoramic view from the top of the volcano that is responsible for more deaths than any other in recorded human history - in 1783. But no such views today!
Afterwards I headed back the way I came, this time stopping at Fagrifoss to collect star 23!
Proceeding back and along highway 1 east, through yet more wind and rain, I arrived at a point where glacial ice flows out to sea - star 24!
Wow - you’ve done some miles to get around to those sights so quick.
Real shame about the weather at the glacier flow into the sea … it can look amazing around there, including being able to see icebergs carve off, and the glacier in the distance. You need to go to both the beach and the estuary to get the best views.
Also, not far from there (a bit south?) is the Moss Lava Fields, which just look incredible - like a different planet. Well worth seeing (or bouncing on) if the weather improves.
PS - Reykjavik is a funky place to hang out for a couple of days if you want to relax, though hotels can be busy/expensive. Also, the Blue Lagoon is a bit of a tourist rip off, though the public baths/pool in Reykjavik is quite fun.
Edited to add - Biking Viking just linked to this cool article about the volcano - http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2014/08/31/amazing_photos_from_the_eruption/
Well done Martin! Once again insanely jealous!
Thanks for the kind words folks! Part of my posting ritual is to see if there are any comments from my last activity.
Zander, I keep an updated route map on the first post - you can see my route hasn’t exactly been circular. I saw the greenery on the way east but again, too grey and wet to really enjoy it 
Bikergirl_400, yup but it’s had its ups and lows. Swap that 400 for another Dakar and come play!
whereisgibson (31/08/2014)**
Thanks for the kind words folks! Part of my posting ritual is to see if there are any comments from my last activity.
Seems like a nice boy, not sure you could introduce him to your mum.
Zander, I keep an updated route map on the first post - you can see my route hasn’t exactly been circular. I saw the greenery on the way east but again, too grey and wet to really enjoy it
Bikergirl_400, yup but it’s had its ups and lows. Swap that 400 for another Dakar and come play!
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It looks like you need you support crew GS with a tipi and wood burning stove these past few days fab updates as always mate.
love your travel threads Martin, always eagerly awaiting the next instalment. hope the weather improves a little for you and you warm up.
Loving the updates! Thanks for sharing and putting another idea on my bucket list! Inspiring stuff!
Ah, I didn’t realise that was updating … good to just link to it in each post? You’ve covered the place well!
