Skip to main content

Day 12 - icebergs and sunshine

Hello there! 

Thanks for tuning into my Arctic Ride Iceland blog, riding my motorbike to the Arctic Circle to raise money for Tiny Lives Trust & Cerebra. 

Day 12... wow. What a day! I started the day waking up inside a national park and a stones throw away from a glacier, where I’d camped last night. I wasn’t in the mood for breakfast so just grabbed an apple and started packing up my gear. I was on the road early knowing I had a long day ahead of me, with over 250 miles (a long way on these roads) to do to get me back to the port where I’d catch the ferry tomorrow morning. 


The scenery along Iceland’s south coast (just like yesterday) was again truly stunning! You almost get immune to how beautiful it is as it’s constant. From one mountain range to the next, it’s just epic. 

I stopped a few times to snap some photos, then I pulled into the ‘Iceberg Lagoon’ on recommendation of Olafur. Wow. This place was even more remarkable than the rest of South Iceland. It’s like a different world. 



I carried on East eating up the miles. I stopped at a small services where I ordered a panini, only for it to be burnt in the toaster. I ate it anyway as it was the last one they had and they gave me a refund, cash-back!

With about 100miles to go the road turned to gravel once more. The first section was also roadworks and the road was filled with deep and heavy gravel. I really struggled riding on this kind of terrain and I had to take it really easy to make sure the bike and I got across in one piece. After a few kilometres the gravel eased and it become a more ‘regular’ unpaved surface, so I was able to pick up some speed while riding on the pegs. 



Apart from the odd gust of wind, the weather really picked up today and I got to enjoy the roads and in relative warmth, although my all-in-one rain suit stayed on, so I’m not sure it was actually ‘warm’. 


I made it to the town of Egilsstaðir in East Iceland in time to do some quick shopping, and catch the England football semi-final. Alas it was not meant to be but the locals made me really welcome, even if most were rooting for Croatia.
After the game I started the ride over to the port-town where I’d camp for the night. Due to the Northerly nature of Iceland, it was still super bright even though it was past 9pm so I was able to stop and get some shots at the top of the mountain pass, and stop at my last waterfall (this time with no other tourists) before getting to the campsite and settling down. 



Aside from crossing The Arctic Circle, this was definitely my best day in Iceland and I leave with a good taste in my mouth. This country is nature in its rawest form and, put simply, is stunning and wild. I’ve loved seeing the sights of South and East Iceland and finally riding without the wind trying to take me out. I’d highly recommend anyone come and visit, but bring warm clothes and a wind break. 

Tomorrow I set sail for Denmark (I was meant to visit the Faroe Islands on the way home, but change of plan) and then have another 1,000 or so miles before I get back to Newcastle.

Thanks you again to everyone for the support, messages, and donations. It seems like ages ago that I crossed the Arctic Circle, but my journey is still far from over. You can still donate at www.virginmoneygiving.com/thearcticrider after some very generous donations we’re now closing in on £5,000!! Super effort from everyone. 

Ride safe everyone

Gordon. 

Popular posts from this blog

Suzuki GSX650F review

Hello there, And welcome to another edition of the Arctic Ride blog! My trip might be a distant memory (last year in fact) but there is still plenty to come from me both for Arctic Ride 2014 post trip (like this blog) and future adventures. I'm pleased to announce that earlier this week my blog reached 45,000 views which I am both pleased and humbled about. So with this blog I wanted to share my thoughts on the bike I rode on my ride to the Arctic this year, the Suzuki GSX650F. I've had many people ask me to review the bike and, well, here it is. My GSX 650F and I at the Arctic Circle in Norway As a background in my 9 years of riding I've ridden a smallish cross section of bikes, but I feel it has been enough for me to put some context behind my views on the GSX650F. An example of some of the bikes I have ridden include my first bike, Suzuki Marauder 125, a Yamaha Virago 535, Kawasaki ER5, SV650S, BMW LT 1200, Harley Davidson Street Glide 1800, and a Kawasaki ...

Why is the Dalton so dangerous?

Welcome to The Arctic Rider blog, Its now less than a year until I start my quest to conquer The Dalton Highway in Alaska, one of the worlds' most dangerous roads. The new 'Arctic Ride Alaska' poster I've still got a lot of planing to do and I've been working away in the background to get a lot of things firmed up, but I probably won't know the key parts of the trip, such as the exact dates I'll be going and the bike I'll be riding, until the Autumn. Anything I know before then I'll be staring with all you loyal readers of my blog. In this blog, I'll be covering why The Dalton Highway is so dangerous , and why I'm hoping you will share some of your very hard earned Pounds (and other currencies for non-UK readers) in exchange for the danger and suffering I'll be putting myself in next year. Firstly though, I must say a huge thanks to an unnamed Devitt Insurance employee who very kindly donated their employee-of-the month priz...

Looking back: Arctic Ride Iceland

Hello, Thanks for tuning into another edition of the Arctic Rider blog. Wow, so its been a week and a half since I returned from my epic trip to Arctic Iceland. The dust has settled and I'm back at work.. it almost feels as thought it never happened, a long and distant memory but luckily I have lots of photos to remind me it was real :) Day 12 - Southern Iceland The weather in Iceland completely battered me and I feel lucky to have got through this ride in one piece, having met other bikers who been blown off their bikes in the wind, dropped them on gravel roads, and been soaked to the skin by the rain. The battle against the elements was 100% worth it though to raise so much money for two amazing charities in Tiny Lives Trust and Cerebra. At the time of writing, Team Arctic Ride has raised OVER £5,000 for this ride. I'm honoured and humbled to have had such amazing support from so many dedicated supporters! I will be closing my donation page at midnight 31st July...