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Iceland in May 2011 Iceland in May 2011
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Iceland Iceland is a great place to travel, but seems to get missed a lot!
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 20 Dec 2010
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Iceland in May 2011
Hello

I’m planning to go to Iceland in May 2011 and I’m looking for some help.

I live in Portugal so driving to the UK, Denmark or Norway doesn’t make much sense.

Is there any ferry from Spain or France to Iceland? I know this is a long shot but would probably be the best solution…

One other option could be shipping the bikes and then fly to Iceland. (Is it difficult or expensive to do the costumes?)

Does any one have contacts of shipping companies and costume companies in Iceland?

Thanks in advance

Bernardo Feio
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  #2  
Old 20 Dec 2010
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the only ferry to Iceland is the one that sails away from Denmark:
Smyril Line - Explorer of the North Atlantic
it could be cheaper to rent the bikes over there.
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  #3  
Old 20 Dec 2010
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Hey Bernardo,

There are a couple options, but they are from the UK and Holland. Last year I been there, by shipping my bike (with SAMSKIP from Rotterdam) to Reykjavik. 8 days later a arrived by plane it's al very easy to arrange.

There are to major shipping agencies, SAMSKIP and EIMSKIP, to Iceland.

And there is the option above.

By the way, if you want to use the ferry, you can visit the Faroe islands as well. It's really worth to visit those islands.

Richard
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  #4  
Old 27 Dec 2010
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Hello

Thanks for your answers. I now already ask some transport quotations to send the bikes from Portugal to Iceland.

One other question.

Is there any pist book? I want to off road as much as possible.

thks
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  #5  
Old 27 Dec 2010
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I've used this map: Ferdakort - Fer�akort - �sland

It contains most routes but my guess is that most inland roads will be closed in May so there will not be a lot of pistes to drive.
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  #6  
Old 27 Dec 2010
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You again Alibaba!!


Did you go to Iceland with the BMW? Is it too much cold for bike driving?
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  #7  
Old 27 Dec 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bernardo feio lightweight View Post

Is there any pist book? I want to off road as much as possible.

thks
Check out this thread from a long time ago: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...land-now-20853

I was there in 2007 and found the guidebook to be very thorough. My trip report is at Iceland TBSdotCom

I don't think the boat goes from Scrabster/Scotland any more.
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Old 28 Dec 2010
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Yes I went with the BMW, I also went back earlier this year (not with a bike) to watch Eyafjallajökull.

My route:



There are a lot of nice areas to drive in Iceland, basically the interior are gravel/pistes. My favorite-area is around Askja, including the road F910 and "old F910". Askja itself is a huge volcano with a hot spring in the bottom. You can climb down and swim, nice! I'll see if I have some pictures somewhere...

Navigation is pretty simple, there are signposts and the maps are good. There is a free GPS-map for Garmin. If you do a search o Olaf's map you might find it, I haven't tried it.
Petrol and food is not to be found everywhere in the interior so it's smart to do some planning. Cold water is easily available, haha!







In May it will be cold and I expect most of the interior to be closed because of snow, ice and maybe lots of water.
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Old 28 Dec 2010
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In what time of the year did you went with the bike?
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  #10  
Old 28 Dec 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bernardo feio lightweight View Post
In what time of the year did you went with the bike?
I was there in July/August.

Askja top view:



Askja bottom view, hot spring:


If you are a fan of hot springs always follow the signs to "Heita pottur", it's nice to relax somewhere warm for a change.
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  #11  
Old 16 Mar 2011
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Alibaba, you have shared superb photographs. I am quite impressed with all of them and can you tell us more about the most attractive places there to visit.
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  #12  
Old 20 Mar 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bernardo feio lightweight View Post
[...] I live in Portugal so driving to the UK, Denmark or Norway doesn’t make much sense. [...]
Hi,

as there's only the ferry from northern Denmark, you could check out the trains. There's a connection (Autozug) from Narbonne to Hamburg, so you'll only have to ride another 500km to the ferry terminal.

Or you could fly and rent.

Pip

[edit: Hym, I just realized the original post is dated December ... so it's probably a bit late for tips.]
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  #13  
Old 21 Mar 2011
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Hi,

As others mentioned May could be early.
I was there end of July - August 2010 and at that time weather was nice and all roads were open.
It is not allowed to ride offroad in Iceland.
Interior of the island is really nice, all gravel roads and some river crossings.
If these inner roads are open on May, then water can be quite high (and really cold).

Few links to check:
The Icelandic Road Administration english web pages | English | Vegagerðin Iceland Road Administration
Icelandic Meteorological Office - Volcanic Eruption - Seismicity - Weather forecasts - Weather observations - Avalanches - Hydrology - Climatology - Sea Ice Iceland weather
Iceland travel guide, accommodation, iceland hotel, guesthouse, vacation, holiday / Visit Iceland Tourism
News - Icelandic Tourist Board Another tourism page
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  #14  
Old 29 Mar 2011
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Iceland again.....!
We'll be in Iceland 24th May til 6th June. It'll be my eighth trip there and nice to be on a motorbike again after last years cycle expedition to see Eyjafjallajokull erupting......!

I'll be on a bike from Biking Viking Motorcycle Tours with Icelandic 'plates' rather than our own GS's as I haven't got enough time to ride from Scotland to Denmark then take the ferry to Iceland which is a shame as we'll miss out on the superb Faroe Islands.

Hope to see some Horizons Unlimited riders on the road there.....!

FP.
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  #15  
Old 10 May 2011
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Iceland bikers
Hey guys , kindly add your location Red Dot to my revolver globe. I have no one up there in the North. United States of AManchester. and just click the globe.

Cheers and stay warm

Pete
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