Thanks Alastair! Happy that I read that short bucket list article that day... it led to interesting things!! Can't wait to get on the next adventure now.
Enjoyed the video. Spent my last two years of high school at the NATO base where you arrived. Been back three times since....wife lived across the street so we have have same love for Iceland. Seen bicyclists riding the Ring Road and know of what you write. Seen the riders being blown all over, at the camp site tent campers trying to dry out all their belongings. The Ring Road is narrow, no bike lanes or a shoulder...hardly safe on a bike. The winds of which you speak can be constant. But this is such an incredible beautiful country with great views around each corner.
Inspiring video. Questions (1) Would you have gone clockwise if you'd to do it again? or did the north winds cut right over the island? (2) The video shows most roads with small inclines but maps show large inclines/downhills ? (3) Are you restricted by a lack of places to stop? (4) Did you wild camp most of time? (5) Did you have many flats or maintenance issues apart from Reykjavik at the start?
Hats off to you my friend. In the end it's about the experience. Biking should be about enjoying the journey not trying to get the as fast as possible or breaking a record. I absolutely loved your video. Hopefully someday I'll be able to do 10% of what your trip was. I'm an avid bike rider but never have I done a tour. Great job documenting the trip. Cheers!
Brandon Hofmann Thanks so much Brandon! Really happy you enjoyed this, it was other people’s videos and writing that got me motivated so that’s great to hear 👍🏼😊
Gorgeous photography. The journey was yours, start to finish, on matter what adjustments you had to make along the way. Congratulations on the trip. Looking forward to seeing Part 2.
Fantastic, I've done a far but of touring myself! Will go again sometime, but I think Iceland seems like too large a challenge for me at the moment! Maybe you should give the North Sea cycle route a go sometime! I think still the longest signposted cycle route in the world!
Very excited for you!! Hope you have a great time, wishing you a safe trip. Drop a line here when back to let me know how you get on. Side note, I'd love to do a bikepacking trip with my son one day... he's six months old though so I'll have to wait a while and try to stay fit!!
@JamesStevensonPhoto So far so good. 550 miles down with our first real mechanical issue. Need to bus into Akureyri for a new rim, then head back to the campsite we got permission to store the bikes. My son is a bit grumpy...but I know he will remember this fondly! Averaging ~70 miles a day
I've watched a number of videos of cycling in Iceland and you photos and cinematography are absolutely top notch! Well done. A cycling adventure in Iceland is on my bucket list. Not sure I'd be up for the entire ring road, but some version for sure. Looking forward to part 2.
Thanks so much Jeffrey, that made my day! Especially since it fell short of what I'd hoped to capture (for instance, my 'road cam' gopro was pointing too far down, capturing only road for mile after mile!!! Those old ones didn't have a screen and I couldn't check it til I was home)! Hope you enjoy pt.2
Adore everything about this video. I like that you being real about the struggle too. Well done job on all those breathtaking shots. The sunset clouds was insane! You did amazing!
Brilliant decision to change the plans. Really enjoying the video - I like the way it's not just miles of cycling footage but you're still in no doubt it's a cycle trip!
Thanks Adrian! I had the gopro on my head pointing to low for the entire trip, so I have countless clips of just tarmac and my front wheel!! At first I was disappointed but then thought, you know what, there's more than enough that was salvegeable!! There's only so much of that stuff anyone needs to see eh - appreciate you watching and commenting, greetings from Vancouver :)
Thanks Marcos, yeah I resisted the urge to collapse into my tent a few times, was tough indeed but managed to capture some of it - more so on the second half. Appreciate you watching, thanks :)
Thank you very much for this great video James. Although I have traversed Europe on a bike from the Bay of Biscay to the Black Sea and done many longer bike tours in mainland Europe, I have never toured Iceland, even though it is my native country. On my tours I have met many people who have cycled here but, to my detriment, have had to admit that I have never done it myself. Until now, that is. I am starting my tour along the ring road on Friday next week and if I wasn´t teeming to go already, your video truly lit the flame! Thanks again.
Wow! I'm really happy to hear you'll be doing this and it would be amazing to hear how you get on! I think many of us, when we have time to take a trip, don't consider our home country as a first option - but it's a wonderful thing to do. I'd love to see more of the British Isles where I'm from! Take care on your trip and drop me a line when you're back to let me know how it went!
Thank you very much, James, for the great pictures and the very useful information. I thought about doing my first trip to Island by bike, but gave it right up, seeing your report. I'm planning to go in summer 2021, if the world has opened up by then. My budget is very low. Do you think a combination of bike and public transport would be possible? greets louis
Also to answer this question - absolutely it can be done on a budget and by a combo of bike and public transport. Buses were regular and I didn't find it difficult to get one, campsites were cheap or free and I limited my spends on the expensive stuff to just a couple of days indulgence. When the world gets back to normal, I hope you find time to plan your own trip!
Legal nomad on wheels I contacted Kria cycles in Reykjavik, I ditched my box on arrival and paid them a small amount to box my bike up at the end. Most bike shops have excess boxes and with some forward planning will help you out! Hope this helps! Are you off on a trip soon?
@@JamesStevensonPhoto brilliant and thanks for your quick reply. Actually I am planning to leave for iceland this week and be there approximately a week or four. Not planning to cycle the whole island since I am bringing my mtb. Want to see the more remote areas. At this moment thinking of the fjords in the west.
My wife and I budgeted 3 months to cycle around Iceland, after 7 weeks, we had only made it half way. Too much to see and the wind! We eventually bailed and cycled through the UK for the remainder of our time. It was an unusually pleasant summer in England. I plan to eventually return and finish the journey, though I may be solo...
Hi James, nice journey! May I ask what was the longest distance that you cannot re-supply? for example, the furtherest distance between 2 supermarkets/convenience store etc? thank you.
Have only recently come across your channel, but you are producing some fantastic stuff mate! Keep up the awesome work, and gets me very excited for my trip to Iceland in June. Much love from Australia!
Brady Johnston Thanks so much mate! That’s really encouraging! Oh man you’re going to love Iceland, I definitely to go back and experience it again. So much more to see, and it’s different all seasons - right after I left they had the most spectacular northern lights in years apparently! I know that they shut out all the lights in Reykjavik and everyone was out by candle light to enjoy it. Thanks for watching and writing!
Woohoo...how bloody exciting. But I was feeling for you man, I felt like I was right there with you James, feeling your pain. Love your shots...Your black and whites - amazing, that first shot of the church and geese, and that burning sunrise just looked beautiful. Can't wait for the next installment :)
Thanks Mark! Yeah was actually a little tough to watch myself!! It’s definitely the most personal video I’ve added here so I appreciate your empathy! Thanks for the kind comments on the photos too.
why did you ride the route clockwise? would you have not avioded a lot of the wind going the other way? thank you for the amazing video and experiences though!
This was an amazing video! I love vacations like this and your video has inspired me to add Iceland to my bucket list. Thank you for sharing your story. I totally felt your emotion when having to make that hard decision. I remember hiking trips in the mountains were the exhaustion gets to you and you realize you need to take a break or you are going to ruin your trip. It’s a hard call at the time cause you’re so mentally out of it, but the rewards are worth it! Looking forward to part 2! Few questions: It looked like you had a ton of gear weighing you down on the trip. What essential gear did you pack? Were you able to resupply food items, how often, and where? How much of your gear was photography equipment?
Hi Joseph and thank you for watching! Yeah exhaustion and being tied to set travel dates, the combination can mean that something has to give even if that means tweaking your plans a little. I ended up enjoying this trip so much more for taking a short break from the bike, it really did give me back some much needed energy! Sounds like you know exactly how it feels! As you say, it's worth it. Re. Questions. I did pack WAY too heavy, there's no doubt about that in my mind now! A proportion was photography gear but other things really did add extra bulk that I didn't need to carry. I'm actually going to make a whole video on this as a counterpart to these two videos from the trip, so I'll go into this in some depth, but the short answer would be essentials are bike maintenance tools and spares and clothing for all weather. It's easy to stock up on food at the regular petrol /service stations and there's lots of melt water from rivers and streams most of the way round. I never ran out of water. I'll get into all this properly very shortly, for now I hope that helps!
I must know, whe you did your bike tour, did you do an "Assisted Tour" (where they have an emergency vehicle follow you, or did you truly do it all by yourself?) And do you recommend that a beginner on a smaller tour should do an Assisted tour?
Thanks for your questions. No emergency vehicle - and I never felt in real trouble though some sections were challenging with the elements! There's a really good app I found out about where you could press a big green button to check in your location with emergency services, and a big red one if you got in real trouble so they know your last location and where to find you. Coverage is good. I'll try and find the name of the app! I'd recommend doing some local tours first and getting some multi-days under your belt if you're really new to touring, but with some good training and preparation this is doable! Plus, you're never too far from being able to decide to take some days off and use transport if you need to. Hope this was helpful!
Thank you so much for sharing your story! I‘m currently planing my trip with my bike around ring road this july. To be honest, I‘ve never been on my own for so long. How did you experience this? Is the lonelynes a sturdy companion or do you meet a lot of other people during your journey? Thank you so much for your insights, I will now enjoy the second part! :D
Thanks Akshay! Having fun making these. It's too nice out there right now though, the good weather is distracting me so I'm getting away from the screen whilst it lasts (hopefully it's as sunny on Thursday eh)!
Hi, Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I have planed the same exact trip for this summer, starting on August 13 until the 29. I have some questions: - Was it easy to find food and water along the road? - What was the traffic like? - Does the road have a shoulder? - the main problem was the wind? - did you experience any extreme weather? - What clothing did you wear?
That's really exciting! Good luck with your trip! Some quick answers: - Food, yes. Every N1 Service station had hot food and they were pretty regular along the road. I planned to stop at, or pass one, each day. - Traffic. Varied. Near the city, a little scary as I hadn't properly researched where the bike routes were, worth doing! In rural areas, which was a lot of the country, far less traffic but occasionally fast passing trucks would give me a bit of a fright. - Shoulder, in most places, not much, but enough. Heading back into Reykjavik, there was one. It had quite a lot of car debris on it, but was useful. - Wind, definitely one of the biggest obstacles for me! It can be pretty relentless, and getting out of it some days was impossible. But, yo yout next question, no real extreme weather. A couple of rainy days, but otherwise the weather was good. And when that wind is behind you, as it surely will be on some days, riding is an absolute joy! You can rattle out 40 miles in a couple of hours even on flats! - Clothing, most days, cycle shorts, cycle shoes for clipless pedals, cycle jersey + fleece layer and a good rain / windproof jacket. I was glad I invested a bit in good quality clothing. I had a goosedown jacket which was nice to add in the evenings, but generally was warm enough without it during the days. Hope some of that is helpful! Feel free to send any more questions my way, happy to help if I can!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto Thank you very much for your useful information. Given your experience, I am now a bit concerned with the wind, I have an average distance per day of 150K with days going up to 180K. I am a keen cyclist, do you think this is realistic? I thought I would average around 20/25 km based on my previous bikepacking trips. I've never experienced a strong head wind.
@@giuseppepes All good Giuseppe! It's such a personal thing, I certainly wouldn't want to put you off, as I did speak to other cyclists who were cycling further than I did each day and finding it easier. One thing that really hampered me was that I overpacked the bike. I had a lot of photography gear, plus things I never used like pots, pans and hiking boots all weighing my bike down a lot! In hindsight, I'd have packed only the essentials. As a keen cyclist you have that on your side! The headwind was brutal in the first ten days, but after that things became easier, gradually at first then the last week was amazing as we cycled so fast with that wind behind us! So for all the days it's a headwind, you'll likely have as many where it's a tailwind to make up for it! It was an amazing experience that I'll always be glad that I did, and I certainly hope there are more bikepacking trips in my future - I can say that much!
Hi. Very inspiring and gorgeous photos. I am planning to do the journey in a year or two. Curious, what was your level of fitness on the bike? Were you traing for endurance biking previously? Thanks!
Hi and thanks for watching! I'm excited for you planning your own trip. Fitness - not bad but I'm not an athlete or anything. I did quite a bit of distance training over some challenging local terrain here in Canada, but my main mistake was never fully loading the bike with everything I planned to take. I partially loaded it and though - ahh the rest'll be fine. It was a shock when I got there and left the airport! With a good base level of fitness though, you'll find the rest on the road, I really feel that!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto Thanks! Good point about loading the bike. I bike 20km daily and have gone as far as 120km but that's with cf bike and almost no weight. I need to start adding weight.
@@snowblow1984 Good call! I think that'll really help you decide what's essential to take and what you can leave. I for instance did not once use heavy hiking boots nor any of the pots / pans / cooking gear I took. There are N1 service stations all around the country and each one had a decent hot meal buffet dinner which, wilst pricier, beat cooking with not a lot of energy left. When I knew I wouldn't be near one I just stocked up a little on picnic style food for the evenings. I could also have cut down on some camera gear, I didn't use all of it in the end.
Thank you. Such a beautiful trip and such a well made video. I signed in to RUclips just to leave this comment and give you a thumbs up. I am a film production student, and I know and appreciate the amount of effort that went behind this video. I am planning a trip to Iceland right now, your video and spreadsheet were really helpful. THANK YOU
Love the video and thank you for making this beautiful resource for cyclists. I'm planning a ride to Iceland for my family and I this September - do you know of a good Bike shop in Reykjavík in case our bikes get damaged in transit as well? We are also shipping our bikes. Also - from your experience - how directional are the winds? I've read a few different opinions here. Ex- are they almost always headwinds when cycling from Reykjavík to the north? Would love your help on this! Thank you :)
Good question! there were a few reasons; three weeks rental was going to cost quite a bit, and since at the time I had no bike and wanted a bike I'd continue using I thought better to spend the money on an investment. To fly with it was surprisingly very low cost and relatively straightforward, even from Vancouver where I live. My friend who joined me for the last week rented one just fine though, he flew with it from Reykjavik to meet me in Hofn then rode it back to return it. Something else I wish I'd known; at the airport they have a sheltered space with tools, benches and tables specifically for people to rebuild packed bikes! When I asked the airport staff where I should go to reassemble my bike, I think the person I asked wasn't sure and just pointed me outside. It was only once I'd spread out every nut and bolt that other staff kept trying to direct me to the right place, when it was kind of impossible to gather everything up mid-work! Lesson 1 was learned fast, right out of the gate ;)
James Stevenson Photography lesson well and truly learnt. Just want to say that your videos on film photography are really informative and interesting so I hope you keep it up!
Thanks very much and I most certainly will be! I tend to split time evenly between the two, I feel I always learn something from one discipline that can be transferred to the other. I now have a lens for my 4x5 and an interesting pano attachment for the back, so there will be episodes on that coming very soon. Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it!
Congrats for jumping in at the deep end - it's a trip that would seriously challenge experienced cyclists, believe me! Great choice to pull the plug and enjoy the trip and the country as well as grinding out the (many) miles :)
Looking at this trip next year in august with my son his friend and niece. All who are over 20 and experienced bicyclists. What reference online would you suggest for campsites. I am figuring every four days getting a room to clean up and shower and get good rest. Hindsite being what is what would change about your trip. I am hoping to do 50 mile a day average.
Hey James! You did an amazing job, hats off! Just WOW. My girlfriend and I , we are planning to do the ring road and a little bit inland in the south area in late August and September, for about a month. I hope it is not too late for the trip, but we have spare time only in that period. May I ask you, if there is any reason that you cycled clockwise? And what about the fees at campsites? Any suggestions are welcomed! Thank you for your answer ! Pal Magyari
Hi! Thanks for watching :) Glad you enjoyed this. The rack was a Surly "Nice" rack which I've since sold on. Worked very well - but I found that because I could load the bike up heavy, I did. In hindsight, being more nimble would have been amazing. Next time out I'd bike-pack with a smaller load - and having a lot less over the front wheels feels great. Personal preference though! The panniers were Ortlieb City on the front. I kept hiking boots, pots, pans and such in them, none of which I really used enough to justify!
I know this is years later but I am thinking about doing this same biking trip if you could answer some of my questions that would be great. How much money was the cost of the bike rental and food to get you through the trip? How did you carry clothing with you? I see you have gear strapped to your bike. Im guessing I would need to go a lot of re-wearing of dirty clothing (which I expected) How much did you spend on housing and what not. Are there airbnbs near the ring road I could use that may be cheaper? Sorry if you answered any of these questions already I may have missed them. Thank you so much!
Hi Campbell! I'll do my best to answer: 1) I bought a touring bike, but you can complete this on any well serviced bikes of your own - or you can rent from shops in Reykjavik. I'm sorry I don't know the price of rentals. 2) Food - I mainly at at the many N1 Service stations around the ring road in the evenings as most had cooked food buffets and you'll pass many. When in places with shops, I'd buy or make sandwiches for lunches. As for the cost - it's pretty expensive everywhere in Iceland, especially dining out, but the N1s were a good balance. I thought I'd cook more, but honestly was pretty tired after most days! Plan on things in general costing higher than average, I'm sorry I didn't keep an exact budget. Where you'll save money is on camping, that wasn't expensive in most cases. 3) AirBnB I used twice, 1 night at the start and 1 at the end. Not too pricey. The wood cabin in Egilstadir cost a bit more. I'm sorry I don't have specific records, but a quick shop around on AirBnB should give you more up to date prices and availability. It wasn't hard to find places in Reykjavik. There were opportunites to use them in other places I stayed, but I stuck to campsites the whole way round to keep down the cost whilst still having some facilities. Clothing! I forgot that one - 3x cycle shorts, zip off hiking pants, goose down jacket, good windproof rainjacket, fleece zip layer, 3x wick sport t-shirts, and about 5 pairs of socks and underwear. I used wash facilities in Egilstadir and Hofn, two freshen up stops at campsites in 3 weeks. Also cycle shoes, helmet and running shoes. This meant re-wearing some things, feeling a little unclean for a few days each week, but I also needed to carry tools, camera gear and cooking gear so I had to work with the room I had. In hindsight, I didn't use the cooking gear, also carried bulky hiking boots that weren't used once, and generally packed too heavy. I've since bought smaller tents and travelled lighter, and was much happier for it. Be ruthless, pack light and your legs will thank you for it once you hit those headwinds!! Have a safe trip, hopefully this is helpful! Let me know how your planning goes!
Hey! I am planning to make the same journey with some friends in June/July and your videos have been a great source of information and inspiration. One question - assuming you brought your bike on the plane, where did you store the bike box during your journey? Or did you throw it out and pick up a new one before you left? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
Hi! Thanks for watching and I'm glad these videos are still of value to others, 7.5 years on! I can hardly believe it was that long ago!! I'm excited for you for your trip, you'lll have an amazing time. To your question - I had the local Vancouver store where I bought my bike box it up for the trip out - many will do this for a small charge as they have lots of spare boxes. I threw the box out then had this store in Reykjavik box mine for the return trip. I contacted them in advance to arrange this but it was no problem and cost very little. kriahjol.is/ The alternative, if you're planning a lot of cycle touring, would be to get a dedicated cycle case which offers a bit more protection in transit, but as you say will require storing. I believe there's a facility very close to the airport that provides space to reassemble your bike, some tools, and a place to store bike boxes for a fee. I'd contact the airport as staff there might be able to point you in the right direction for more info! Hope this is helpful, let me know how you get on, would love to hear about your trip! Quite a lot of people have written to me since I posted these videos and it's always fun to learn about others' trips and adventures! Best wishes and safe cycling!
Jas Mann Haha this really made me laugh, because I was thinking the exact same thing when I finished the trip! Amazing experience but I will definitely go back with a 4x4 and really explore some of the places it was impossible to get to by bike in three weeks.
Thanks Chris! I think you could do it on a folding bike. There were some hills, bit it's more the wind that is going to slow you down at stages - the hills were manageable though I was carrying too much weight. For the wind I definitely found I needed that lowest mountain-bike gearing, I was in first gear almost all day around day 7. Brutal! So long as you're travelling light and have a good low gear on the bike, you'll make it work!
Hi! I'm going to Iceland from 20th of august till 3rd of September and I would like to complete the ring road by bike. There is any way I can ask you some specific questions about the cycling? Your video is the best one I have found so far, detailed and so relevant. Really well done. Thank you. Julio
Julio Tugnoli Hello and thanks for the kind words! Please ask away, happy to help if I can! You can ask in the comments if it might help others or PM me through the ‘about’ section in my RUclips channel here.
Firstly, congratulations on the achievement! Secondly, this (both parts) is a brilliant little film. Weirdly, I had a conversation about this route with a colleague at work today so it's now on my list. Is there a 'best' time of year to go, and are the roads/drivers cycle friendly?
Hi and thanks for watching! Three weeks is a good amount of time, it will just come down to what you want to do. Cycling a full loop of the ring road, I'd allow three weeks at least and factor in a couple of days extra for contingency if you can. I lost a few days on bike repairs, and for my level of experience I'd have liked a few more days. If you plan to just visit different locations by bus then do some cycling there, three weeks is a good amount of time to explore different areas and cover a lot of miles! Hope that's helpful?
Yifei Wu Thanks! Funnily enough that road was just east of Egilsstadir wheee I was in that hut! In part two there’s another waterfall location they used in that movie, called skogafoss.
WOW, That truly sounds amazing! Gotta go there sometime in the future! Love your content and quality videos sir! It is good to have creators like you on RUclips, best wishes!
Yifei Wu thanks so much for the kind comments and I hope you’ll return for more, I’m planning lots of new photography adventures and the community spirit on here has been great!
Haha funnily enough, I was there in equal parts after seeing that film and reading Alastair Humphreys' online article! Great film with wonderful cinematography.
Such an excellent, informative and inspiring film. Thank you!
Truely am amazing documentary, very well presented with spectacular views.
I enjoyed your confidence and imagination.
Thanks.
Frank
Well done! I'm really glad you did this!
Thanks Alastair! Happy that I read that short bucket list article that day... it led to interesting things!! Can't wait to get on the next adventure now.
Enjoyed the video. Spent my last two years of high school at the NATO base where you arrived. Been back three times since....wife lived across the street so we have have same love for Iceland. Seen bicyclists riding the Ring Road and know of what you write. Seen the riders being blown all over, at the camp site tent campers trying to dry out all their belongings. The Ring Road is narrow, no bike lanes or a shoulder...hardly safe on a bike. The winds of which you speak can be constant. But this is such an incredible beautiful country with great views around each corner.
Inspiring video. Questions (1) Would you have gone clockwise if you'd to do it again? or did the north winds cut right over the island? (2) The video shows most roads with small inclines but maps show large inclines/downhills ? (3) Are you restricted by a lack of places to stop? (4) Did you wild camp most of time? (5) Did you have many flats or maintenance issues apart from Reykjavik at the start?
Hats off to you my friend. In the end it's about the experience. Biking should be about enjoying the journey not trying to get the as fast as possible or breaking a record. I absolutely loved your video. Hopefully someday I'll be able to do 10% of what your trip was. I'm an avid bike rider but never have I done a tour. Great job documenting the trip. Cheers!
Brandon Hofmann Thanks so much Brandon! Really happy you enjoyed this, it was other people’s videos and writing that got me motivated so that’s great to hear 👍🏼😊
cycling is freedom, including the freedom to jump on a bus and chill out! great video man !
Awesome James, I am a photographer as well and was thinking of doing this!
Gorgeous photography. The journey was yours, start to finish, on matter what adjustments you had to make along the way. Congratulations on the trip. Looking forward to seeing Part 2.
What bike did you bring with you? Could you specify the model as well as the bags? Great video and photography, congrats! Super useful. Thanks !!
So inspiring, would like to make a similar trip in the upcoming months! Thank you for sharing your incredible experience!
Always love to hear this from others thinking of taking to the saddle!
I hope you have a great trip - wishing you safe and fun filled adventures!
Fantastic, I've done a far but of touring myself! Will go again sometime, but I think Iceland seems like too large a challenge for me at the moment!
Maybe you should give the North Sea cycle route a go sometime! I think still the longest signposted cycle route in the world!
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing. Thinking about bicycling Iceland in 2020...
Cheers for watching John, I just posted a reply on your other comment 😊
My son and I are doing this for the next three weeks. Plane leaves this Friday. I can't wait
Very excited for you!! Hope you have a great time, wishing you a safe trip. Drop a line here when back to let me know how you get on.
Side note, I'd love to do a bikepacking trip with my son one day... he's six months old though so I'll have to wait a while and try to stay fit!!
@JamesStevensonPhoto So far so good. 550 miles down with our first real mechanical issue. Need to bus into Akureyri for a new rim, then head back to the campsite we got permission to store the bikes.
My son is a bit grumpy...but I know he will remember this fondly! Averaging ~70 miles a day
I've watched a number of videos of cycling in Iceland and you photos and cinematography are absolutely top notch! Well done. A cycling adventure in Iceland is on my bucket list. Not sure I'd be up for the entire ring road, but some version for sure. Looking forward to part 2.
Thanks so much Jeffrey, that made my day! Especially since it fell short of what I'd hoped to capture (for instance, my 'road cam' gopro was pointing too far down, capturing only road for mile after mile!!! Those old ones didn't have a screen and I couldn't check it til I was home)!
Hope you enjoy pt.2
Adore everything about this video. I like that you being real about the struggle too. Well done job on all those breathtaking shots. The sunset clouds was insane! You did amazing!
Thank you Feby :), it was certainly a challenging trip but I loved it and learned a lot.
Brilliant decision to change the plans. Really enjoying the video - I like the way it's not just miles of cycling footage but you're still in no doubt it's a cycle trip!
Thanks Adrian! I had the gopro on my head pointing to low for the entire trip, so I have countless clips of just tarmac and my front wheel!! At first I was disappointed but then thought, you know what, there's more than enough that was salvegeable!! There's only so much of that stuff anyone needs to see eh - appreciate you watching and commenting, greetings from Vancouver :)
Congratulations James. Tough journey, and you still got some great shots along the way. I'm very jealous. Looking forward to part 2.
Thanks Marcos, yeah I resisted the urge to collapse into my tent a few times, was tough indeed but managed to capture some of it - more so on the second half. Appreciate you watching, thanks :)
Thank you very much for this great video James. Although I have traversed Europe on a bike from the Bay of Biscay to the Black Sea and done many longer bike tours in mainland Europe, I have never toured Iceland, even though it is my native country. On my tours I have met many people who have cycled here but, to my detriment, have had to admit that I have never done it myself. Until now, that is. I am starting my tour along the ring road on Friday next week and if I wasn´t teeming to go already, your video truly lit the flame! Thanks again.
Wow! I'm really happy to hear you'll be doing this and it would be amazing to hear how you get on! I think many of us, when we have time to take a trip, don't consider our home country as a first option - but it's a wonderful thing to do. I'd love to see more of the British Isles where I'm from! Take care on your trip and drop me a line when you're back to let me know how it went!
Thank you very much, James, for the great pictures and the very useful information. I thought about doing my first trip to Island by bike, but gave it right up, seeing your report. I'm planning to go in summer 2021, if the world has opened up by then. My budget is very low. Do you think a combination of bike and public transport would be possible? greets louis
Also to answer this question - absolutely it can be done on a budget and by a combo of bike and public transport. Buses were regular and I didn't find it difficult to get one, campsites were cheap or free and I limited my spends on the expensive stuff to just a couple of days indulgence.
When the world gets back to normal, I hope you find time to plan your own trip!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto thanks very much, James! 👍🏻🍀
Hey james, question about your bikebox. Where did you leave it during your trip? Any place you would recommend? Cheers and thanks.
Legal nomad on wheels I contacted Kria cycles in Reykjavik, I ditched my box on arrival and paid them a small amount to box my bike up at the end. Most bike shops have excess boxes and with some forward planning will help you out! Hope this helps! Are you off on a trip soon?
@@JamesStevensonPhoto brilliant and thanks for your quick reply. Actually I am planning to leave for iceland this week and be there approximately a week or four. Not planning to cycle the whole island since I am bringing my mtb. Want to see the more remote areas. At this moment thinking of the fjords in the west.
Legal nomad on wheels sounds amazing and it’d be great to see some photos when you’re back! Safe travels and enjoy the unique beauty of Iceland!
My wife and I budgeted 3 months to cycle around Iceland, after 7 weeks, we had only made it half way. Too much to see and the wind! We eventually bailed and cycled through the UK for the remainder of our time. It was an unusually pleasant summer in England. I plan to eventually return and finish the journey, though I may be solo...
FYI Had the same problem with bike damage. There is a good bike shop in Keflavik near the airport.
Hi James, nice journey! May I ask what was the longest distance that you cannot re-supply? for example, the furtherest distance between 2 supermarkets/convenience store etc? thank you.
Well done, James. Sounds incredible. Well done!
Have only recently come across your channel, but you are producing some fantastic stuff mate! Keep up the awesome work, and gets me very excited for my trip to Iceland in June. Much love from Australia!
Brady Johnston Thanks so much mate! That’s really encouraging! Oh man you’re going to love Iceland, I definitely to go back and experience it again. So much more to see, and it’s different all seasons - right after I left they had the most spectacular northern lights in years apparently! I know that they shut out all the lights in Reykjavik and everyone was out by candle light to enjoy it. Thanks for watching and writing!
Woohoo...how bloody exciting. But I was feeling for you man, I felt like I was right there with you James, feeling your pain. Love your shots...Your black and whites - amazing, that first shot of the church and geese, and that burning sunrise just looked beautiful. Can't wait for the next installment :)
Thanks Mark! Yeah was actually a little tough to watch myself!! It’s definitely the most personal video I’ve added here so I appreciate your empathy! Thanks for the kind comments on the photos too.
why did you ride the route clockwise?
would you have not avioded a lot of the wind going the other way?
thank you for the amazing video and experiences though!
This was an amazing video! I love vacations like this and your video has inspired me to add Iceland to my bucket list. Thank you for sharing your story. I totally felt your emotion when having to make that hard decision. I remember hiking trips in the mountains were the exhaustion gets to you and you realize you need to take a break or you are going to ruin your trip. It’s a hard call at the time cause you’re so mentally out of it, but the rewards are worth it!
Looking forward to part 2!
Few questions: It looked like you had a ton of gear weighing you down on the trip. What essential gear did you pack? Were you able to resupply food items, how often, and where? How much of your gear was photography equipment?
Hi Joseph and thank you for watching! Yeah exhaustion and being tied to set travel dates, the combination can mean that something has to give even if that means tweaking your plans a little. I ended up enjoying this trip so much more for taking a short break from the bike, it really did give me back some much needed energy! Sounds like you know exactly how it feels! As you say, it's worth it.
Re. Questions. I did pack WAY too heavy, there's no doubt about that in my mind now! A proportion was photography gear but other things really did add extra bulk that I didn't need to carry. I'm actually going to make a whole video on this as a counterpart to these two videos from the trip, so I'll go into this in some depth, but the short answer would be essentials are bike maintenance tools and spares and clothing for all weather. It's easy to stock up on food at the regular petrol /service stations and there's lots of melt water from rivers and streams most of the way round. I never ran out of water. I'll get into all this properly very shortly, for now I hope that helps!
James Stevenson Photography Thank you for the reply. I look forward to the future episodes!
I must know, whe you did your bike tour, did you do an "Assisted Tour" (where they have an emergency vehicle follow you, or did you truly do it all by yourself?) And do you recommend that a beginner on a smaller tour should do an Assisted tour?
Thanks for your questions.
No emergency vehicle - and I never felt in real trouble though some sections were challenging with the elements!
There's a really good app I found out about where you could press a big green button to check in your location with emergency services, and a big red one if you got in real trouble so they know your last location and where to find you. Coverage is good. I'll try and find the name of the app!
I'd recommend doing some local tours first and getting some multi-days under your belt if you're really new to touring, but with some good training and preparation this is doable! Plus, you're never too far from being able to decide to take some days off and use transport if you need to.
Hope this was helpful!
Thank you so much for sharing your story! I‘m currently planing my trip with my bike around ring road this july. To be honest, I‘ve never been on my own for so long. How did you experience this? Is the lonelynes a sturdy companion or do you meet a lot of other people during your journey? Thank you so much for your insights, I will now enjoy the second part! :D
Superb videos. I hope there will be many more. If I may ask, what lenses did you take with you for this trip?
Great job, Can't wait for part 2!
Thanks Akshay! Having fun making these. It's too nice out there right now though, the good weather is distracting me so I'm getting away from the screen whilst it lasts (hopefully it's as sunny on Thursday eh)!
I loved Iceland. Can't wait to go back!
You have to make it yours well done
Thanks Eric! Here's to future adventures!
Hi,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I have planed the same exact trip for this summer, starting on August 13 until the 29. I have some questions:
- Was it easy to find food and water along the road?
- What was the traffic like?
- Does the road have a shoulder?
- the main problem was the wind?
- did you experience any extreme weather?
- What clothing did you wear?
That's really exciting! Good luck with your trip!
Some quick answers:
- Food, yes. Every N1 Service station had hot food and they were pretty regular along the road. I planned to stop at, or pass one, each day.
- Traffic. Varied. Near the city, a little scary as I hadn't properly researched where the bike routes were, worth doing! In rural areas, which was a lot of the country, far less traffic but occasionally fast passing trucks would give me a bit of a fright.
- Shoulder, in most places, not much, but enough. Heading back into Reykjavik, there was one. It had quite a lot of car debris on it, but was useful.
- Wind, definitely one of the biggest obstacles for me! It can be pretty relentless, and getting out of it some days was impossible. But, yo yout next question, no real extreme weather. A couple of rainy days, but otherwise the weather was good. And when that wind is behind you, as it surely will be on some days, riding is an absolute joy! You can rattle out 40 miles in a couple of hours even on flats!
- Clothing, most days, cycle shorts, cycle shoes for clipless pedals, cycle jersey + fleece layer and a good rain / windproof jacket. I was glad I invested a bit in good quality clothing. I had a goosedown jacket which was nice to add in the evenings, but generally was warm enough without it during the days.
Hope some of that is helpful! Feel free to send any more questions my way, happy to help if I can!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto Thank you very much for your useful information. Given your experience, I am now a bit concerned with the wind, I have an average distance per day of 150K with days going up to 180K. I am a keen cyclist, do you think this is realistic? I thought I would average around 20/25 km based on my previous bikepacking trips. I've never experienced a strong head wind.
@@giuseppepes All good Giuseppe!
It's such a personal thing, I certainly wouldn't want to put you off, as I did speak to other cyclists who were cycling further than I did each day and finding it easier. One thing that really hampered me was that I overpacked the bike. I had a lot of photography gear, plus things I never used like pots, pans and hiking boots all weighing my bike down a lot! In hindsight, I'd have packed only the essentials.
As a keen cyclist you have that on your side! The headwind was brutal in the first ten days, but after that things became easier, gradually at first then the last week was amazing as we cycled so fast with that wind behind us!
So for all the days it's a headwind, you'll likely have as many where it's a tailwind to make up for it!
It was an amazing experience that I'll always be glad that I did, and I certainly hope there are more bikepacking trips in my future - I can say that much!
great video, i can see how much work you put into it!
Thanks Jamie, second part coming very shortly! :)
Hi. Very inspiring and gorgeous photos.
I am planning to do the journey in a year or two. Curious, what was your level of fitness on the bike? Were you traing for endurance biking previously?
Thanks!
Hi and thanks for watching! I'm excited for you planning your own trip.
Fitness - not bad but I'm not an athlete or anything. I did quite a bit of distance training over some challenging local terrain here in Canada, but my main mistake was never fully loading the bike with everything I planned to take. I partially loaded it and though - ahh the rest'll be fine. It was a shock when I got there and left the airport!
With a good base level of fitness though, you'll find the rest on the road, I really feel that!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto Thanks! Good point about loading the bike. I bike 20km daily and have gone as far as 120km but that's with cf bike and almost no weight. I need to start adding weight.
@@snowblow1984 Good call! I think that'll really help you decide what's essential to take and what you can leave.
I for instance did not once use heavy hiking boots nor any of the pots / pans / cooking gear I took.
There are N1 service stations all around the country and each one had a decent hot meal buffet dinner which, wilst pricier, beat cooking with not a lot of energy left.
When I knew I wouldn't be near one I just stocked up a little on picnic style food for the evenings.
I could also have cut down on some camera gear, I didn't use all of it in the end.
Thank you. Such a beautiful trip and such a well made video. I signed in to RUclips just to leave this comment and give you a thumbs up. I am a film production student, and I know and appreciate the amount of effort that went behind this video. I am planning a trip to Iceland right now, your video and spreadsheet were really helpful. THANK YOU
Just replying to some other messages here and saw this again. Did you go on your own trip to Iceland in the end? If so, how was it!!
Love the video and thank you for making this beautiful resource for cyclists. I'm planning a ride to Iceland for my family and I this September - do you know of a good Bike shop in Reykjavík in case our bikes get damaged in transit as well? We are also shipping our bikes. Also - from your experience - how directional are the winds? I've read a few different opinions here. Ex- are they almost always headwinds when cycling from Reykjavík to the north? Would love your help on this! Thank you :)
Excited to see more!
Bookmarks241 cheers! Working on the next one now :)
James Stevenson Photography great! Quick q, you mentioned assembling your bike, just wondering why you decided not to rent one while you were there?
Good question! there were a few reasons; three weeks rental was going to cost quite a bit, and since at the time I had no bike and wanted a bike I'd continue using I thought better to spend the money on an investment. To fly with it was surprisingly very low cost and relatively straightforward, even from Vancouver where I live.
My friend who joined me for the last week rented one just fine though, he flew with it from Reykjavik to meet me in Hofn then rode it back to return it.
Something else I wish I'd known; at the airport they have a sheltered space with tools, benches and tables specifically for people to rebuild packed bikes! When I asked the airport staff where I should go to reassemble my bike, I think the person I asked wasn't sure and just pointed me outside. It was only once I'd spread out every nut and bolt that other staff kept trying to direct me to the right place, when it was kind of impossible to gather everything up mid-work!
Lesson 1 was learned fast, right out of the gate ;)
James Stevenson Photography lesson well and truly learnt. Just want to say that your videos on film photography are really informative and interesting so I hope you keep it up!
Thanks very much and I most certainly will be! I tend to split time evenly between the two, I feel I always learn something from one discipline that can be transferred to the other. I now have a lens for my 4x5 and an interesting pano attachment for the back, so there will be episodes on that coming very soon. Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it!
Aw yes, this is amazing! Iceland is one of my dream locations that I want to visit some day!
Some day...
Fnzzy Thank you! Yeah it had been on my bucket list for a long time!
Congrats for jumping in at the deep end - it's a trip that would seriously challenge experienced cyclists, believe me! Great choice to pull the plug and enjoy the trip and the country as well as grinding out the (many) miles :)
Thanks Jonathan. It was one I'll never forget!
Looking at this trip next year in august with my son his friend and niece. All who are over 20 and experienced bicyclists. What reference online would you suggest for campsites. I am figuring every four days getting a room to clean up and shower and get good rest. Hindsite being what is what would change about your trip. I am hoping to do 50 mile a day average.
Great achievement! You inspired me to do the same. I’ll watch your videos again to plan my trip and I believe I’ll need your assistance. Thank you
That's great! Happy to help where I can. On reflection it was a great experience and a solid personal challenge. I'm craving another one like it now!
Hey James! You did an amazing job, hats off! Just WOW. My girlfriend and I , we are planning to do the ring road and a little bit inland in the south area in late August and September, for about a month. I hope it is not too late for the trip, but we have spare time only in that period. May I ask you, if there is any reason that you cycled clockwise? And what about the fees at campsites? Any suggestions are welcomed! Thank you for your answer ! Pal Magyari
Hi! Thanks for the amazing video! Just one question: Which front rack panniers where you using? What was their capacity? Thank you in advance
Hi! Thanks for watching :) Glad you enjoyed this.
The rack was a Surly "Nice" rack which I've since sold on. Worked very well - but I found that because I could load the bike up heavy, I did. In hindsight, being more nimble would have been amazing. Next time out I'd bike-pack with a smaller load - and having a lot less over the front wheels feels great.
Personal preference though! The panniers were Ortlieb City on the front. I kept hiking boots, pots, pans and such in them, none of which I really used enough to justify!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto Thanks a lot!
I know this is years later but I am thinking about doing this same biking trip if you could answer some of my questions that would be great.
How much money was the cost of the bike rental and food to get you through the trip?
How did you carry clothing with you? I see you have gear strapped to your bike. Im guessing I would need to go a lot of re-wearing of dirty clothing (which I expected)
How much did you spend on housing and what not. Are there airbnbs near the ring road I could use that may be cheaper?
Sorry if you answered any of these questions already I may have missed them. Thank you so much!
Hi Campbell! I'll do my best to answer:
1) I bought a touring bike, but you can complete this on any well serviced bikes of your own - or you can rent from shops in Reykjavik. I'm sorry I don't know the price of rentals.
2) Food - I mainly at at the many N1 Service stations around the ring road in the evenings as most had cooked food buffets and you'll pass many. When in places with shops, I'd buy or make sandwiches for lunches. As for the cost - it's pretty expensive everywhere in Iceland, especially dining out, but the N1s were a good balance. I thought I'd cook more, but honestly was pretty tired after most days! Plan on things in general costing higher than average, I'm sorry I didn't keep an exact budget. Where you'll save money is on camping, that wasn't expensive in most cases.
3) AirBnB I used twice, 1 night at the start and 1 at the end. Not too pricey. The wood cabin in Egilstadir cost a bit more. I'm sorry I don't have specific records, but a quick shop around on AirBnB should give you more up to date prices and availability. It wasn't hard to find places in Reykjavik. There were opportunites to use them in other places I stayed, but I stuck to campsites the whole way round to keep down the cost whilst still having some facilities.
Clothing! I forgot that one - 3x cycle shorts, zip off hiking pants, goose down jacket, good windproof rainjacket, fleece zip layer, 3x wick sport t-shirts, and about 5 pairs of socks and underwear. I used wash facilities in Egilstadir and Hofn, two freshen up stops at campsites in 3 weeks. Also cycle shoes, helmet and running shoes.
This meant re-wearing some things, feeling a little unclean for a few days each week, but I also needed to carry tools, camera gear and cooking gear so I had to work with the room I had.
In hindsight, I didn't use the cooking gear, also carried bulky hiking boots that weren't used once, and generally packed too heavy. I've since bought smaller tents and travelled lighter, and was much happier for it.
Be ruthless, pack light and your legs will thank you for it once you hit those headwinds!!
Have a safe trip, hopefully this is helpful! Let me know how your planning goes!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto thank you so much
@@soralink411 Excited for you! This kind of trip... it stays with you!
Hey! I am planning to make the same journey with some friends in June/July and your videos have been a great source of information and inspiration. One question - assuming you brought your bike on the plane, where did you store the bike box during your journey? Or did you throw it out and pick up a new one before you left? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
Hi! Thanks for watching and I'm glad these videos are still of value to others, 7.5 years on! I can hardly believe it was that long ago!!
I'm excited for you for your trip, you'lll have an amazing time.
To your question - I had the local Vancouver store where I bought my bike box it up for the trip out - many will do this for a small charge as they have lots of spare boxes.
I threw the box out then had this store in Reykjavik box mine for the return trip. I contacted them in advance to arrange this but it was no problem and cost very little.
kriahjol.is/
The alternative, if you're planning a lot of cycle touring, would be to get a dedicated cycle case which offers a bit more protection in transit, but as you say will require storing. I believe there's a facility very close to the airport that provides space to reassemble your bike, some tools, and a place to store bike boxes for a fee. I'd contact the airport as staff there might be able to point you in the right direction for more info!
Hope this is helpful, let me know how you get on, would love to hear about your trip! Quite a lot of people have written to me since I posted these videos and it's always fun to learn about others' trips and adventures!
Best wishes and safe cycling!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto Thank you! This is great info.
@@brycerosenwald2915 My pleasure - safe travels on your adventure, let me know what it's like out there and if much has changed since my trip in 2016!
How do you hop on a bus? Are there bus stops or can you just wave at them on the road and they stop?
What gear did you take that you did not need?
Dude, beautiful photographs, amazing adventure, but you can keep the "cycle round the country" palaver, give a 4×4 any day. Really enjoyed the video.
Jas Mann Haha this really made me laugh, because I was thinking the exact same thing when I finished the trip! Amazing experience but I will definitely go back with a 4x4 and really explore some of the places it was impossible to get to by bike in three weeks.
I'd love to do this next year too. I have a folding bike though. Think it would be doable? Are there many hills?
Real interesting video by the way 👍
Thanks Chris! I think you could do it on a folding bike. There were some hills, bit it's more the wind that is going to slow you down at stages - the hills were manageable though I was carrying too much weight. For the wind I definitely found I needed that lowest mountain-bike gearing, I was in first gear almost all day around day 7. Brutal! So long as you're travelling light and have a good low gear on the bike, you'll make it work!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto Great thanks. I'll be brave and attempt it 😁
Good luck and safe travels Chris! Post photos!
@@JamesStevensonPhoto I definitely will! Thanks
Hi! I'm going to Iceland from 20th of august till 3rd of September and I would like to complete the ring road by bike. There is any way I can ask you some specific questions about the cycling?
Your video is the best one I have found so far, detailed and so relevant. Really well done.
Thank you. Julio
Julio Tugnoli Hello and thanks for the kind words! Please ask away, happy to help if I can! You can ask in the comments if it might help others or PM me through the ‘about’ section in my RUclips channel here.
- Hi Julio, I just replied to your facebook message, wishing you safe travels and best wishes! Hopefully I answered your questions.
Many thanks for your kind replay. It will help me on my adventure and experience.
was the road completely paved? can regular road bike ride the entire way?
Firstly, congratulations on the achievement! Secondly, this (both parts) is a brilliant little film. Weirdly, I had a conversation about this route with a colleague at work today so it's now on my list. Is there a 'best' time of year to go, and are the roads/drivers cycle friendly?
Which cycle did you use.... 🤔🤔
MTB or Hybrid
Hey this is awesome! Me and a few buddies are planning on doing this trip this summer. Would love to connect with you!
Hello my friend, how many weeks do you recommended for cycling Iceland, I’m thinking 3 weeks what do u recommend?
Hi and thanks for watching!
Three weeks is a good amount of time, it will just come down to what you want to do.
Cycling a full loop of the ring road, I'd allow three weeks at least and factor in a couple of days extra for contingency if you can.
I lost a few days on bike repairs, and for my level of experience I'd have liked a few more days.
If you plan to just visit different locations by bus then do some cycling there, three weeks is a good amount of time to explore different areas and cover a lot of miles!
Hope that's helpful?
You have inspierd me and my firend, we are going this july and we where planing on staying in hotels and renting a car... we are not doing that now...
Great.
Hey James, thank you so much for this video! I would love to do the same!
This is " The Secret of Walter Mitty " in real life lol. Hace a good one : )
Yifei Wu hahah you know what? I loved that movie, it’s beautifully shot! It definitely played its part in sparking my interest in a trip there! 😊
Yeah! I know right?! That scene where he rides the bike then skates board along that beautiful road, adventure of a life time. I am happy for you.
Yifei Wu Thanks! Funnily enough that road was just east of Egilsstadir wheee I was in that hut! In part two there’s another waterfall location they used in that movie, called skogafoss.
WOW, That truly sounds amazing! Gotta go there sometime in the future! Love your content and quality videos sir! It is good to have creators like you on RUclips, best wishes!
Yifei Wu thanks so much for the kind comments and I hope you’ll return for more, I’m planning lots of new photography adventures and the community spirit on here has been great!
Anyone here cause of Walter Mitty?
Haha funnily enough, I was there in equal parts after seeing that film and reading Alastair Humphreys' online article! Great film with wonderful cinematography.
Get an e-bike!
Hahaha Best comment so far!!
pity video, bad music. photos are good, but bad taste for music