Heritage Dossier

Bikepacking Iceland – 2023

A tight window between jobs, a ferry full of bikes, a late joiner with a sore ankle – then Iceland did what Iceland does.

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Ferry, Ring Road, and the Höfn chapter

Tom had a gap between two jobs and used it to reach Iceland by ferry. The upside was simple: bicycles plus every bag and bit of kit travelled without fighting airline limits.

Karin flew in a week later. We parked the car at Reykjavik’s old harbour and set off. She was only a few days past a nasty ankle sprain – yet, for a long stretch, everything ran smoothly.

We followed Iceland’s Ring Road around the island on the itinerary we had planned. For most of the trip it felt golden – until short of Höfn, when stones started flying in the wind. In heavy storm and rain we had to arrange emergency transport.

The low stayed locked in for an unusually long four days, so we skipped the last quarter of the loop (Karin’s flight home would not wait). A demanding high-country expedition – and by then we had already visited Iceland several times; this round still stands out.

Tom used a time window between jobs and crossed by ferry – bikes and full kit without the usual flight puzzle.
Karin joined a week later; we left the car at Reykjavik’s old harbour and rolled out.
Even with a badly sprained ankle only days earlier, the rhythm held – until the weather turned.
Near Höfn: storm, rain, and stones lifted by the wind. Emergency transport, four days of storm, the final quarter of the loop had to go.