Bikepacking tour Iceland: Against wind & weather - gravel adventures in the Westfjords of Iceland
Text: Luisa Werner and Carla Sailer
The credits of the YouTube documentary "Cycling the Westfjords Way" are still rolling when our decision is made. This bikepacking tour through the far west of Iceland is to be our next project. And although my friend Carla and I have often travelled together on multi-day bike tours in the Alps, this time we are facing some special challenges.
Westfjords: cycling adventure in the western tip of Iceland
What is the catering situation like away from civilisation in the western tip of Iceland? We do some research online and search for supermarkets along our route using photos on Google. Some of the larger towns and shops are up to four days' cycling apart.
And as, according to our research, there are few opportunities to organise food in between, we decide to take our own provisions from Germany to be on the safe side. We also decide on the campsites at our planned stage destinations. What we hadn't taken into account, however, were the forces of nature in Iceland: first and foremost the merciless wind, which was to throw our carefully planned route into disarray.
When we arrive in Ísafjörður (translated: "ice fjord") with our bikes packed for the journey, our first destination is "The Fjordhub". The bike shop is a kind of welcome oasis for anyone travelling to the Westfjords by bike. Tyler Wacker, owner and soul of The Fjordhub, is a quiet chap. He gives us a warm welcome and chats to us about the planned route.
It is already midday when we finally set off and leave the largest town in the Westfjords with around 3000 inhabitants behind us. The gravel bikes are fully packed with a tent, camping cooker and gas canister. Each of us also has a sleeping bag, an inflatable sleeping mat and a small inflatable pillow.
And of course the basic food supplies, some easy-to-prepare dishes such as polenta with sun-dried tomatoes, rice with curry sauce, Asian instant noodles and snacks such as muesli bars, jelly babies and nuts. For all occasions!
Change of plan for waffles and chocolate
The euphoria with which we set off from the "Fjordhub" is quickly dampened. The first two days are long and feel even longer due to the cold and wind. Instead of the expected fifteen degrees, it is only around five degrees. There are few cafés along the way, but each one serves waffles. Waffles and hot chocolate.
The first highlight of the trip awaits us on the evening of the second day. Due to strong crosswinds, we even have to push the bikes downhill in places, including the last 300 metres before our destination for the day, the Hveravík campsite. Gunnar, the owner, offers his guests a wonderful communal house for cooking and eating. There is also a 39 degree outdoor pool.
While we recharge our batteries in the hot pool, we replan our route: with the strong wind, our planning is too optimistic. We shorten the route and reduce the daily kilometres. This proves to be a stroke of luck the very next day, as our rescheduled route now takes us past a herd of Icelandic horses and includes a beautiful gravel pass.
Waterfalls along the way on one side, a spectacular canyon on the other, and not a soul for miles around. Unspoilt nature, no mass tourism - this is what we had imagined!
As the wind doesn't let up over the next few days and even gets so strong at some point that cycling is too dangerous, we break off the fifth stage after just twenty kilometres and spend the rest of the day in a guesthouse. A rest day that comes in handy.
Diversions for the puffins
In the second half of our journey, the Icelandic forces of nature are a little more merciful: with temperatures of around fourteen degrees and sunshine, we even take a diversion and drive to Látrabjarg Rock with its colonies of puffins.
We only get to see two of Iceland's national animal instead of the expected thousand, but the landscape makes up for it once again. Red gravel roads that lead directly along the coast next to steep cliffs. A hilly heath landscape lined with green moss, interrupted by small lakes in which the sun is reflected. Iceland like in a picture book.
And the next highlights follow the next day. Firstly, the Reykjafjarðarlaug hot pool in the middle of nowhere, where we like to make a stop. And finally the impressive Dynjandi waterfall, next to which we two cyclists with our tent seem very puny.
The queen stage of the tour takes us off-road on a gravel track to Þingeyri in perfect weather conditions. Rough stones force us to push a little. Again and again we have to cross small rivers and the landscape changes around every bend.
A day on which we can't stop marvelling. But we step on the gas. We really want to enjoy the waffles at Café Simbahöllin before it closes in the afternoon. As on every day of the journey, we hit the sack in the evening. Before heading back to our starting point in Ísafjörður, we take a diversion to the village of Flateyri.
After nine days, 844 kilometres and 11,200 metres in altitude, we arrive back at "The Fjordhub" full of experiences and with tired legs. Tyler gives us a warm welcome and listens to our story of an adventurous cycle tour with highs and lows in the beautiful and unforgiving landscape of the Westfjords.
The stages
Day 1: 136 km | 1035 m elevation gain | 7.5 h - Start in Ísafjörður
- Overnight stay: Reykjanes Camping, www.visitreykjanes.is
- Recommendation: Litlibær Café & Museum Sundavik, https://litlibaer.is
Day 2: 104 km | 925 hm, 6 h
- Overnight stay: Hveravík campsite, https://hveravik.is
Oasis with pool - this campsite was great, the owner puts his heart and soul into looking after his guests - Recommendation: Café Nauteyri - Steinshús, www.steinnsteinarr.is
Day 3: 123 km | 1,580 m elevation gain | 7 h
- Overnight stay: Djúpidalur campsite, https://tjalda.is/en/tjaldsvaedid_djupadal
Day 4: 92 km | 1,100 m elevation gain | 5.5 h
- Overnight stay: Flókalundur campsite, www.flokalundur.is
- Recommendation: Hellulaug Hot Spring, www.westfjords.is/en/place/hellulaug
Day 5: 22 km | 230 m | 1 h
- Overnight stay: Strönd Guesthouse, www.stroendguesthousehagihagivestfirdir.is-hotels.com/de
Day 6132 km | 2,250 m elevation gain | 7.5 h
- Overnight stay: Patreksfjörður Camping Ground
- Recommendation: Museum café in Hnjótur
- Side trip: to the Látrabjarg rocks with the puffin colonies
Day 7: 92 km | 2.100 hm | 6 h
- Overnight stay: Camping at Dynjandi waterfall (permitted for one night for cyclists and hikers)
- Recommendations: Vegamot Bildudal - Café/Shop/Restaurant The A-house Abandoned Barn Fossfjörður, Reykjafjarðarlaug Hot Pool
Day 8: 109 km | 2,000 m elevation gain | 8 h - Queen's stage Offroad To Þingeyri
- Overnight stay: Campsite near Korpudalur HI Hostel
- Recommendation: Café Simbahöllin, www.simbahollin.is
Day 9: 33 km | 600 hm | 2 h - back to Ísafjörður
- Overnight stay: Tunguskogur Campground
- Recommendation: Take a diversion via Flateyri and visit the Bryggjukaffi café
Information about the bikepacking tour through the Westfjords of Iceland
Arrival
You can fly directly from several German airports to Keflavík, around 50 kilometres from Iceland's capital Reykjavík, in four to five hours.
Onward journey to the Westfjords either by bike (if you have more time) or by domestic flight to Ísafjörður, then by shuttle to Ísafjörður, www.isavia.is/en/isafjordur-airport
Alternatives are the ferry from Stykkisholmur or the bus www.straeto.is/en
Caution: Connection only once a week. Clarify bicycle transport in advance!
Weather
Temperatures did not rise above 15 degrees during the day and around four degrees at night. There was a strong wind, which made cycling impossible at times. Be sure to check the wind forecast! Information on the weather in Iceland at https://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/ elements
Recommendations
(see also daily recommendations for the individual stages):
- Bikeshop The Fjordhub with very friendly and helpful owner, bike mechanic and adventurous Tyler Wacker, https://thefjordhub.is/
- Film on Youtube "Cycling the Westfjords Way"
Useful websites
- www.vestfjardaleidin.is/en
- bikepacking.com/routes/westfjords-way
- www.westfjords.is
- www.visiticeland.com
Characteristics of the tour
Total distance: 844 km, 11,200 m elevation gain, 72 h riding time, 9 cycling days
The majority of the route runs on partly tarmac country roads and the metres in altitude seem manageable at first glance. This can be deceptive! Wind and weather can make this tour more adventurous and difficult than initially thought. So definitely plan enough time! We had to spontaneously adjust our route and let a storm pass by one day in a guesthouse.
We were on gravel bikes with 45 millimetre tyres and plenty of tread. This was definitely necessary on some sections, especially between Bildudalur and Þingeyri. On day 8, you also have to be prepared for pushing sections, but these are rewarded with magnificent views.
The tour at komoot
www.komoot.com/de-de/ collection/2991519/-the-icelandic- westfjords-way,
www.komoot.com/de-de/collection/2979317/-iceland-westfjords-bikepacking
About the authors: Luisa Werner and Carla Sailer
What they say Luisa Werner (from Karlstadt, Germany, place of residence: Grenoble, France, PhD student in computer science, 29 years old) Carla Sailer (from Metzingen, place of residence: Munich, software developer in a medical technology company, 30 years old) about herself and her joint trip: "We know each other from a university event from our student days and went on our first bikepacking tour together in 2020. Since then, one bike trip a year together has become a tradition."
