Iceland: into the light

Having bikepacked from London to Australia, Sam Murray needed a new adventure to bring him out of the dark place he’d fallen into since his return. Undeterred by headwinds and winter weather, Sam found new light amidst the alpine tundra of Iceland.

If you’d have told me two years ago I’d be cycling around the world, I’d have laughed you out of the room. I’d not ridden a bike in my adult life and, to be honest, didn’t know whether I still could. So, what did I do? I bought a bike, strapped some bags to it, and cycled 16,500km from London to Brisbane, Australia.

But getting home from Australia, I’d fallen back into bad habits. After three months of barely touching my bike, I decided I needed to get back out. I was in a dark place and needed to find some light. Iceland had long been on my bucket list and what better way to explore the alpine tundra than by riding a bike in early winter?

Not so Easy

I flew into Iceland on a blue sky day, ready to assemble my bike and cycle 60km into Reykjavic, Reykjavik. Slight issue: EasyJet sent my bike to Italy instead of Iceland! Whilst waiting two days for my bike to arrive, I spoke to a few locals about what I was planning: a 1,300km loop around Iceland’s Ring Road. Every time their face would drop. Their warnings of extreme weather in the north played on my already anxious mind.

Into the wind

After finally collecting and assembling my beautiful Camino at the airport, I headed off into the vast landscapes of Iceland. From day one I noticed what was going to be the bane of my existence here: wind. And a lot of it! It felt like I was cycling into a heavy headwind the whole way. And these were not any kind of winds, they felt arctic. This made layering a headache, if I stripped down too much the winds would cut through, and if I put on all my layers I’d get sweaty and end up cold when the sun went down. It took a few days to figure it out.

Northern beauty

Iceland has to be the most beautiful country I have ever been to. I found myself constantly in awe at the landscapes. Every bend, hill, mountain pass or tunnel brought a new breathtaking scene: snowy mountains, huge waterfalls, glaciers, volcanic ash beaches and roads that made you feel like you were cycling across a different planet. The beauty in the north of Iceland in really stood out for me, the roads were quieter and felt safer away from the busy south.

Beaming

The main reason I wanted to visit Iceland was the northern lights. I had been to Norway a few years ago and seen a faint glimpse of them so I was on the hunt in Iceland to experience a strong aurora. Luckily for me, I was treated to some awesome nights. One evening I was heading up a mountain climb in the dark when a huge burst of green and white light exploded in the sky above me. It was so powerful it seemed like these powerful white beams from the aurora were making their way all the way from the heavens to the road in front of me. It lasted perhaps 45 seconds, but it’s a moment I will remember forever. I'm a bit of a grumpy git but you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face that night, I was beaming.

I’d started in a dark place, but this Iceland trip brought me into the light and reminded me what I could do.

Sam’s Iceland favourites:

• Grábrók crater: my favourite landmark, an ancient volcano which is now a crater in the north of Iceland.
• The road up to and the town of Djúpivogur in East Iceland where I had to shelter for two days from 75km/h winds.
• Earth Lagoon Mývatn Jarðböðin við Mývatn: blue lagoon in the north.
• Goðafoss: my favourite waterfall.
• Öxi pass: my favourite climb, off-road and even cars struggled.

Sam’s Iceland highlights:

• Náttúra yurtel: the owners kindly made a bucket list item for me come true, I stayed in a yurt in Iceland with a view of the geyser.
• Ballerina biscuits. My go-to snack of the trip, it’s like a bourbon with more icing. They saved me a few times on those long stretches!
• The people I met were incredibly supportive, people were always interested in conversation when they saw me on the bike.
• Memorable experience cycling through heavy snowfall on top of a mountain pass.
• The Sonder Camino gravel bike. I got through the entire trip with no mechanicals and it rode incredibly on every surface.