Wil's top tips for Iceland

(It can get wet!)

Hi!

In the next few minutes you will learn:

How 2 weeks riding the TET compares to 2 weeks riding in Iceland.
What it costs to get yourself and your bike to Iceland from the UK.
How it feels to tick off a bucket list adventure.
Five top tips for riding in Iceland.

There are a few films that make up my top 5, occasionally they rotate depending on what kind of mood I’m in, but more often than not The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is right up there. Sure it’s a bit cheesy, but it’s also full of adventure and photography so if that floats your boat go seek it out (this trailer sets the mood). There’s a section where Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) takes a crazy mission across Iceland on a skateboard that really fires my wanderlust.

I would LOVE to visit Iceland.

So would my friend Wil Linssen.

In fact he beat me to it.

Wil and friends spent two weeks there earlier this summer. I caught up with him to find out if it really is as good as it looks in the movies.

😎

Greg Villalobos

Photo: Rupert Jordan

AS:
Hi Wil. Why Iceland? Why now?

WL:
The opportunity knocked! Rupert, Paul, and Ian had been before, and were so enamoured they were going back. They were after another group member and pitched it to me a year or two before the departure date. It was always going to cost a lot of time away from the family and money, so initially I was loathe to accept the invite. It was a chat with our mutual friend Noel Thom that tipped me over; he convinced me it would absolutely be worth it, and that the opportunity wasn’t to be snubbed.

I’ve got two young girls and a puppy, which is a lot for two parents, let alone one for two weeks. The guilt built. We of course had a group chat where the banter and barrage of Icelandic imagery was building, so that did help to assuage it.

A few creators stick out here, if you’re after some inspiration:

@brakemagazine, @noelthom2003, @gunnargunnar, @joffreymaluski.

Tim rides his KTM 500EXC on the glacier.

AS:
Iceland feels so alien that it’s easy to assume it’s going to be a huge task getting there. But really it’s a couple of hours on a plane from the UK. What was your experience of getting there yourself, and your bike?

WL:
We took our own bikes, which sounds like it might be a challenge, but Our Glorious Leader, Tim organised the whole thing and gave us simple instructions – sign this, send me that, take your bike here then. We dropped them at the port in Immingham, UK a few weeks before the start, then flew to join them later. The bulk of the cost for whole trip was shipping (about £1.4k), but it really was easy – you turn up with your docs, and a very nice man takes you to your container and helps you get your stuff off. You can leave anything you like at the port.

London -> Iceland is 3 hours or so by plane, and because all of your stuff is already on the bike, you only need a spare pair of pants and a toothbrush on the plane. Also, if you’re an idiot and pack the wrong trousers, you can wear your Singletrack Pants on the flight in relative comfort – they’re useful to have on in the inevitable Icelandic weather when you arrive too.

Wil and his KTM 690 safely made it off the ferry.

AS:
I know that one of your team spends a lot of time riding in Iceland, so you had a guide as part of the trip which must have been handy. Can you give a broad outline of where you went? Were there any parts of the island that were really memorable for you?

WL:
Tim is that man – he’s been going every year for 18 years or so, I think. He’s a fascinating guy, and each time we paused on the trail there was some titbit or tale from where we were, or what we were doing. He knew how to account for the varying conditions, and so we were always in the best possible spot for the weather and mood.

We skirted Southwest, then up right through the highlands, over the Westfjords, up and on to a glacier and back into Reykjavik. Sometimes we stayed two nights in a spot to make the best of the weather and riding without luggage.

Each day you’d think you’d been thwarted by rain or fog, but every time you’d come through it and be greeted by some truly epic vistas and riding. It wasn’t all easy gravel, there were some really challenging sections to get places where I could believe no other vehicles had been for a long time.

Honestly, it’s hard to pick stand out spots because almost everything you look at is glorious (if you can see more than 20m). Dust storms, kilometre long alluvial rivers, six hour long dusty speedways, remote wild campsites flanked by sea and mountain, tidally dependent trails right on the beach, glaciers you can ride on, myriad waterfalls, the livid colour of the place, the people!

WATCH RUPERT'S FILM OF THE TRIP HERE

Un-passable snow in the middle of summer.

AS:
You’ve ridden all over the UK and Spain on the TET which is similar 1 to 2 week trips camping off the bike. How did Iceland compare to these more traditional TET trips?

WL:
None of us speak Icelandic; that did not matter whatsoever, because everyone there spoke English better even than we did in some cases. The smaller towns were originally supported by fishing, but overfishing decimated their economies – as a result the population is aging somewhat as younger generations leave for more cosmopolitan lifestyles. The kids there all want to chat to you, and we got some solid wheelie tips from a few of them in Siglufjörður. The Icelanders were all wonderful and generous.

One thing Iceland is not is cheap, and even petrol station snacks run at a premium. Camping is perhaps an exception, depending on the spot, but each stay was more than I've spent anywhere else. I brought quite a few dehydrated meals that I prepped on the Jetboil, and otherwise most evenings I had whatever was cheap, and would fit in my backpack from fuel stations – flat things like packs of hotdogs, wraps, noodles, and tins of fish.

There is a ring road around Iceland, and we saw a great many Land Rovers pootling around it, but they were missing everything. The F Roads are the gravel tracked arteries of the island, and they go everywhere. For the most part you could do them on a GS on 50/50 tyres, and if you have to turn around then there’s often another way. There are little treasures dotted along them, and I’d encourage you to stop every time you see something interesting. Ask the locals for tips, and they’ll point out some magical thing that other tourists might miss.

River crossings are not to be trifled with. We had ridden about 5h through the Sprengisandur and faced a river that had a) Tim nervous, and b) a rescue station conveniently, and thus worryingly placed next to it. There was a Tenere 700 parked up next to it, and we wondered if its owner had buggered off for a toilet break or something.

Turns out he’d had to make use of said conveniently placed rescue team to drag it from the bottom of the river earlier that day. Get off, walk it, find the best spot, and be prepared if you drown your bike – we had to do the full drowning process on day 3, but were prepped and continued on.

The weather, as I’ve said is occasionally formidable. We went at the height of summer, and it rained every day. Bring good kit, prepare to layer up and down, keep your feet dry.

Rupert made the most of his Adventure Spec layers.

AS:
You and others in the team were wearing Adventure Spec kit. How did you get on with it? Is riding in Iceland suited to a layering system or are you better off in an all-weather textile setup?

WL:
My kit setup went like this:

Bottom – Core Shorts, Core Long Leg, Leatt 3DF Protective Shorts 5.0, Bridgedale merino socks, ChillCheater aquatherm knee high socks, Leatt 3DF 6.0 Knee Guards, Alpinestars Tech 7 (non-waterproof) boots, Singletrack Pants.

Top – Core Short Sleeve, Supershirt, Baltic Hybrid mid layer, Rab Electron Pro down jacket, Singletrack jacket, Knox Orsa Textile gloves, buff, Nexx X.Wed 2 helmet.

Wil fully layered up for the wet weather in his Singletrack Jacket and Pant.

Rupert puts his Singletrack Jacket into hiking mode.

The only layer I took on or off was the down jacket. Temperatures were usually hovering around 10°C, and it rained every day. When things got technical, or it warmed up, I was very grateful to be able to open the vents on the Singletrack Jacket. Since it didn’t vary too much, I’d say actually the gravel suit would be a great fit for the place. For me though, the Singletrack and layering is so versatile that I’d take this exact setup to Spain, so I had the choice to layer up and down.

I did push the Singletrack Pants to their limit and some groin wetting on the wettest days. I’ve not yet had a pair of trousers that didn’t ingress like that in 20+ years of riding bikes.

My Singletrack jacket is years old by now, and had been through the ringer. I Nikwaxed it before we went through, and it held out 100%. I love that jacket. The hood was a godsend at camp too.

Some of the lads had the Magadan Panniers, and initially I was envious of the cavernous space they had for luxuries like full kitchens, tarps, chairs, fresh coffee etc. They were new to them, and I think they’d not quite worked out how to fasten them down though, no shakedowns occurred so they were learning out there. We had some mishaps were Magadans secured without racks bounced into a rear wheel which tore a sleeping bag, or those with Racks had their straps work loose. I’d highly recommend a rack and a solid strapping setup for those.

Editors Note - The Magadan Panniers were originally designed to work well on bikes with large rear racks. They are less suited to rackless setups. We recommend a setup like Clives here.

SEE MORE OF WIL'S PHOTOS HERE

AS:
If Adventure Spec were to modify or even design new gear suited to Icelandic riding, what would be on your Wishlist?

WL:
Tim and Craig both had these lovely Hilleberg tents with tarps. The tarps gave them a fantastic little space to cook, eat, and generally chill out in the adverse weather. I fancy a tarp now.

The Supershirt is a revelation – armour that is always in the right place. I’d love to see some AS armour for butt, hips, and knees like that.

Waterproof socks are a total necessity for me now. I’ll wear them even when it’s not raining for water crossings. Waterproof boots are all well and good whilst the tech holds up, and water doesn’t come in the top – socks are where it’s at. Make some of those.

Space is more important to me than weight on an MC trip. All camping gear is geared for alpinists, so weight. Cleverly designed cook stuff that packs small and lets me prepare some coffee in the morning, and pasta in the evening would be fabulous.

My tent poles and pegs caused problems for my Kriega gear – they went in my waterproof bags wet and covered in mud. They wore through the waterproof bags and covered my stuff in mud. A separate tough way to carry poles is lacking in the market.

AS:
So you’ve ticked off most adventure riders bucket list, arguably I can’t imagine you can get better or more adventurous trails anywhere in the world! How does it feel being back in tame old England? What’s next?

WL:
It’s amazing on a trip like that how remote, and far from your family you’ll feel, then how quickly it’ll feel like you never left when you get home. There were times when I felt low – trapped in a tent as it pissed it down outside, knowing I was missing moments with my girls. They passed as we mounted up, the banter began, and the scenery yielded some spectacle.

I certainly don’t feel like I’ve ‘done’ Iceland as folk are wont to say. I’ve experienced some of what it has to offer. As with all of these trips, it’s so much about the people you’re with, and what an hilarious, fascinating, and caring bunch they are – thanks, lads!

Tim told me how he’d once read a book by an Italian attempting to recreate Marco Polo’s route across Mongolia. The book describes an affair he has with a Mongolian woman, and the people and places that relationship introduces him to. Tim decided it was enough of an interesting thread that he’d follow it to Mongolia to try and find the descendants of those people in the book. The book wasn’t necessarily that important, it was the thread he’d pulled at. That thread yielded an epic trip that’s stuck with him.

It’s really got me thinking about looking for these threads, these white rabbits, learning to notice them, having the conviction to follow them, and finding the balance with family life. I think I’d like to trade blindly following the pink line on a GPX for a more fluid, personal adventure. Could be anywhere next, and hopefully it’s with a similar calibre of cohort.

Ian stretches his legs on the dirt.

WILS TOP FIVE TIPS:

No such thing as bad weather, only bad gear – bring good riding kit
Piss Poor Prior Preparation Prevents Proper Performance. Iceland is tough on bikes, make sure it’s tip top before you leave. Know how to fix a puncture, rescue a drowned bike, and replace an air filter.
Get the local apps that report road closures, and weather stations. You can avoid uturns and poor weather easily that way.
Have a long range – you’ll want at least 200m of fuel range. Stations can be sparse, or you might get WELL into a trail before having to turn around. Think of that drowned Tenere who’s owner decided not to turn back the 90 miles to the last fuel station.
Take a billion photos. I’m lamenting the lack of photos and videos I took on the trip!