We're planning for Iceland and would like any information related to touring and camping but specifically would like wind direction information for the entire coast in the summer months.
Thanks,
Claire
Iceland weather and route info
金, 2006-01-27 18:14
#1
WS Member
Iceland weather and route info
I did Iceland in 2004 and was blessed with rather good weather, only a few days with rain. I wrote a fact sheet on it, you can get it here: http://www.geocities.com/reveriecollides/
For Icelandic weather: http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/vedur/, if you have any more questions just let me know.
Well now, that's a hard one. The prevaling wind direction along the Icelandic coast during the summer months is always right in your face. There is no such thing around here as a tailwind. Seriously, there is no prevaling wind direction. The wind here is unpredictable, as is all Icelandic weather. Bring waterproofs and other clothing for temperatures from 5 Celsius to 20 Celcius, including rain and wind. It can rain quite a lot here in Iceland during all parts of the year, so be prepared.
Every town in Iceland has a campground, some of wich are free. You can expect to pay from $5 to $20, in direct relation to the amenities available. Every town also has a swimming pool wich I'd advice you to use every day, since lounging in the hot-tubs is the best thing you can do after a hard days cycling. Wild camping is permitted, on public land. That means that if the land is not fenced in, you can camp there as long as you clean up after you.
Stores are usually open until 20:00 in the evening but most places will have gas stations that are open longer so you should be able to pick up the basic neccesities even if you arrive late.
IF you intend to stick to the cyrcle route, Highway 1, you don't have to worry too much about the mechanical things. It's mostly tarmac except for a few patches here and there. You will be doing a lot of climbing and descending so bring spare brake pads, but no really long climbs like you get in the Alps. There aren't many cycle stores in the country, outside of the capital, but hardware stores will have things like spare inner tubes and brake pads.
If you are going to be touring the highlands you'll be riding over gravel roads, tracks and no roads at all. You will be crossing rivers (take great care there!) and you'd better make sure your bike is in good shape. There will be a lot of sand, wich will wear down chains and casettes as well as rims and brakes. THe best thing to do is to wash down and relubricate your drivetrain every day, if you can and scrape your brake pads with a knife every evening to get rid of embedded sand. I've seen people wear out rims in a couple or three weeks in the highlands. You also want tyres resistant to cuts, like Schwalbe Marathons, since there will be quite a bit of volcanic gravel for you to ride on. (And that cuts up your tyres like riding on glass)
If you need more information, let me know!
Magnus Thor
Iceland