We cycled around Iceland in winter | BiciCats | Part 1

Thank you so much for watching the first part of our 37 days adventure in Iceland!
Part 2 will be released soon and we have stunning views and wildlife to share.
Don’t forget to subscribe and activate the notifications 🙂

In September 2025 we will start a NEW ADVENTURE. Exciting!
We will ride to the other side of the world, from Portugal to New Zealand.
Check our plans and progress on Polarsteps:
https://www.polarsteps.com/BiciCats/19738542-to-the-other-side-of-the-world

✉️ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bicicats.substack.com/

🚲 Follow us on RideWithGPS to see our route!
https://ridewithgps.com/collections/2452018?privacy_code=UPnI4pCdv8AQZK3bMI0EzMVVzMtqku6c

☕ If you want to support us just Buy us a Coffee:
https://buymeacoffee.com/bicicats

Or follow us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/BiciCats

More info about us on https://bicicats.com.

–
Music: Cartilage provided by mobygratis.

Iceland, the bucket list destination of so 
many bike travellers. The riding is great, the landscapes are stunning, and there’s just so 
many iconic places to visit. But we don’t all go to Iceland just because it looks so good. 
A lot of the allure is in the challenge: dealing with the arctic weather and 
the remoteness of it all. Especially if you decide to tackle it in winter, 
that’s when things can really get tough. You don’t want to go to Iceland?
I’d love to go to Iceland, just not in April. But before the adventure could even 
start, we had to get there first. So, after a few days travelling across Poland, 
Germany and Denmark we finally arrived at the passenger terminal in Hirtshals.
It was finally time to roll onto Norrona – our home for the next three 
days of sailing across the Atlantic. Turns out sailing to Iceland has quite a few 
advantages over flying there, even if it takes a few days rather than just a couple hours.
The only one I really got to enjoy was the bed as I spent most of my time on board 
lying down fighting seasickness and trying my best not to throw up, fortunately 
Renata can tell you all about it. [R] I really love Norrona! I love to walk around 
and watch the sunrise and sunset… I barely sleep on board. I’m so glad it’s just 3 days!
on the highest deck there’s a super nice area with comfy sofas, it’s nice to be there facing 
the ocean and try to spot some whales and birds! . Ah! I went to the swimming pool and 
sauna, it was funny how wavy the pool gets when the ocean is rough. There’s so 
much to do! Shame Mateusz couldn’t join me… After a short stopover in the Faroe Islands, the last leg of the journey was 
ahead. And it was about to be the toughest part of the trip, and by far.
A storm was brewing between us and the destination, which not only meant more seasickness 
for me, but also harsh weather in Iceland. And as we learned after getting some 
on-board internet, the news was quite bad. The pass there, not passable. So 
our bicycle trip starts with a bus. After seeing how many cars, trucks 
and campers drifted off the road and got stuck in the snow we 
knew we made the right call. A not-so-smooth bus ride later we arrived to 
Egilsstadir, unloaded the slightly shaken-up bikes from the trailer, and finally – it was 
time to begin our bike ride around Iceland! 33 km of climbing and descending later, 
it was time to start looking for a place to camp. One thing we didn’t consider 
though was setting up the tent in the snow, luckily we just stumbled upon a perfect spot 
near a closed campsite in Reydarfjordur, so we pitched up the tent to warm up and look at 
the mountains from the comfort of a sleeping bag. The next morning brought a threat 
of storms in eastern Iceland, so we packed up and after a quick gas station 
breakfast we set off. And this being our first proper day of cycling in Iceland, we only just 
started realising that we finally made it here. And the land of ice and fire did not disappoint, 
even if for now mostly ice. So much ice in fact, that even with the little sunshine we were 
getting sunglasses were absolutely necessary. Fortunately, the farther along the coast 
we got, the less snowy the landscape became. Even some grass was showing! That 
would make for some easy wild camping… But no, the weather had other ideas. Out of 
nowhere the skies turned almost black, and in literally minutes we were absolutely soaked.
And half in an act of desperation and half trying not to ruin the trip on the second 
day we just decided to just get a room. We even got quite lucky! We got the whole 
place to ourselves! And after a warm meal made up of what we still had left over 
from Denmark it was time to get some sleep. The forecast for the next few days looked grim 
and we would need all the energy we could get. Até já! Leaving the warm and comfortable hostel room 
wasn’t easy, but with the better weather there wasn’t really no reason to stay. That 
didn’t mean completely smooth sailing though. While the rain was gone the wind 
decided to stay a while longer, and it wasn’t just a pleasant breeze.
It was the famously powerful Icelandic wind, and of course it was blowing straight into 
our faces. Luckily, we were following the coastline. So, on the way into the fjords we 
struggled, but on the way out we literally flew! Some parts were even sheltered enough 
so we could get the drone up in the air! But the good thing about the 
drone is you’re still travelling. And if we didn’t understand just how far 
north we were yet, the reindeer on the side of the road definitely made us realise.
Doesn’t seem unusual in a nordic country, but turns out in Iceland you need to be in 
the right place at the right time to see them. They only come down from the highlands when it 
gets too harsh even for a reindeer up there. We didn’t even know they’re not native 
to the island before coming here! Well, no land mammal except the arctic fox really 
is, even the famous icelandic horses are not! And while the reindeer didn’t seem to 
mind the conditions much, well, we did. The wind just kept picking up all day and it 
started pretty much blowing us off the road! We really needed some shelter to hide behind, 
and the only thing around us was a farm. Slight bit windy, but we have been offered 
a stay in a little beautiful cabin. This is our beautiful cabin for the night. We were almost happy with the wind 
just then. The shower was hot, the bed was oh so comfy, and all that 
completely unbothered by the weather! The next day we left the 
cabin feeling so much better, Saying goodbye. And after thanking our host we hit the road. The wind wasn’t letting up, and even though 
it wasn’t blowing us off the road anymore, the riding didn’t really get much easier.
Not only were we going slow, but whenever we tried to stop for a little while we got so cold.
At one point we took a break to watch a school of whales in the distance and after 
like 15 minutes we were freezing. At least we had a little bit of 
sun and some food to warm us up! And now I can do it, that’s nice! Speaking of food, it was some of the last we had, so we really needed to get going 
and get to town before shops closed. And the moment we rolled into 
the town it started snowing, and after freezing all day 
we just called it quits. We were in luck, as Hofn’s campsite was 
the first open one we’ve seen! And the few Icelandic campsites that are actually 
open in winter have everything you need to make surviving the weather possible – there’s 
hot showers, a heated kitchen, a living room, that kind of thing. We were told to pitch the 
tent on a little playground with a shelter, perfect for the wind and snow, and after a hot 
drink and some food we were ready to go to sleep. Next morning the snow was still going 
quite strong. With the wind still blowing and traumatized by yesterday’s 
freezing we decided to just wait it out. Well, we ended up waiting all day. At 
least we managed a walk around Hofn and on the horizon we saw Vatnajökull, the 
largest icecap in Iceland and pretty much in all of Europe. Well, it’s second to 
one on Svalbard, but that hardly counts. I think it’s not working! We arrived at the Jökulsárlón glacial 
lagoon and the Diamond Beach, both known for the ice: the former for large floating 
icebergs, and the latter for the small, transparent chunks of ice washed 
up on the black sand of the beach. And all that ice comes, of 
course, from Vatnajökull! And keeping with the theme of glaciers, we 
really wanted to sleep at the foot of one, and we found the perfect 
spot near Svinafellsjokull. Getting there wasn’t too easy, but we were 
very determined to get to the glacier. So after struggling over the stones for a good while 
we finally found the spot – right on the edge of a glacial lagoon, with a clear view over the blue 
ice reaching into the crystal clear water… Yeah, the water was more of a chocolate milk 
colour, but the place was stunning anyways! The spot was great, but the night was a bit 
restless. We just kept hearing noises close to the tent, sounded almost like someone walking around 
on gravel or coughing even… and then we realised it was just rocks falling. And how do we know, 
exactly? Well, next morning we tried hiking up to the glacier, but we got stopped by some rather 
large rocks tumbling down dangerously close to us. Sacrificing their lives. The noise they made was exactly what 
we heard in the middle of the night! The next stop on our journey was Vik. It’s a small 
town, but quite famous for the dramatic coastal views and the black beaches.
One of those, Rejnysfjara, is especially well known, and not just for 
its beauty, but how dangerous it can be. Every year at least a few unlucky tourists 
ignore the warning signs and get swept out to sea by powerful sneaker waves. But 
among Icelandic people the beach is called ‘chinese takeaway’… well, that’s 
Icelandic sense of humour for you. Next up was Skogafoss, probably one of the 
most well known Icelandic attractions. It’s a massive and powerful waterfall, and it pops up 
in movies all the time, so you know it’s popular. But I’d say it’s too popular, honestly. 
The whole area is full of hotels and huge parking lots to manage the thousands 
of people coming there everyday. We actually enjoyed Skogafosses little brother, 
the much smaller waterfall Kvernufoss, way more. Because Skogafoss is so famous and almost every 
single person visiting Iceland goes there, the one and only road leading 
there gets rather crowded. And that doesn’t make for the 
best experience on the bike. I think you can see in my face 
just how little fun we were having… But we pushed on, going late into the night, and 
after like 80 km of suffering on the main road, we finally turned off. And the road we turned 
into just so happened to take us to Urriðafoss. And we were in for quite the surprise!
It’s not your traditional tall waterfall, looks more like a series of rapids, but in 
terms of waterflow it’s the biggest one in Iceland, and you can really feel the power.
It may not be as popular as other waterfalls, but it very quickly became one of our favourites. Looks delicious.
It is. It’s also an exceptionally good 
subject for drone photography, but its beauty can be a bit distracting… From the waterfall we continued 
down, thank Odin, much quieter roads. We passed through some 
picturesque coastal villages, and as the sun started hiding behind the 
horizon we arrived at our destination, Gata Camping, quite possibly the one and only 
official free campsite in the whole country. There’s toilets, electricity, even a hot shower. 
There was even a little kitchen, but when we were there it was unfortunately out of order.
No problem, we had our own perfectly functional stove! Or we did last night, but I think it just 
broke in transit… So, a good half hour of arts and crafts with a knife and can ensued.
With the issue resolved and the stove no longer splashing fuel everywhere, we 
treated ourselves to some good food. After a restful night at the campsite it was 
finally time to make our way to the whole reason we came to the Reykjanes peninsula.
Near the small town of Grindavik, just south of the capital, a volcano was currently erupting, 
and as you can guess, we really wanted to see it. Problem is, it’s not that easy. Usually, 
when a volcano erupts, they mark trails, organize tours, people get so close to the lava 
they can almost touch it. Not this time though. It was happening so close to Grindavik, 
that the whole town had to be evacuated. The road was closed and getting anywhere near 
the crater was quite the challenge. Fortunately, after a little bit of research we found 
a viewpoint overlooking the eruption. And there it was! Far on the horizon, a 
bit farther than we were expecting really, the volcano! It was mostly all smoke and the old 
lava, but with the camera zoomed all the way in, we could see a tiny little bit of lava 
jumping out every once in a while. We even tried the drone to get 
a good shot of the volcano, but after 3 km of flying it started complaining 
about low battery. So, unfortunately we had to turn back. We weren’t really disappointed 
so much, just maybe a bit… underwhelmed. It was finally time to head into Reykjavik.
Or at least we thought so, before the rocks started turning shades of red, yellow and 
green, and it all started stinking of rotten eggs. Telltale signs of geothermal activity! 
So of course we had to take a look and explore a bit. And it was so worth it! I think I actually 
enjoyed it more than the volcano, but then again, probably because we could get so close to the 
boiling mud and hot springs. It was so cool to hear the ground literally bubbling beneath our 
feet, and to see the smoke pretty much just coming out of a mountain. And with all that steam it was 
also quite warm! The smell was rather horrendous, but the place looked like it belonged 
more on Mars than Earth, and we ended up spending so much time there that getting to 
Reykjavik was pretty much out of the question. So we cycled a bit more and 
camped out on the side of a lake. After packing up it was time to go 
to Reykjavik, for real this time! Okay, ready to go. But not before a quick stopover at a fish 
drying… area? Place? Eh, doesn’t matter, it was just a cool looking spot, and made for 
some really great photos! Didn’t smell the best, but after the rotten eggs of 
yesterday it was almost nice… You saw and you smelled. And we made it! After 16 days in 
Iceland we were finally in Reykjavik, time to slow down a bit, visit some 
museums, maybe go out to eat… nah, I’m joking, we didn’t even really go through 
the city, we just went through the suburbs. We did spend a lot of time in supermarkets 
though, and by the time we got to our campsite we were fully stocked, veggies, bread, 
granola, nuts. We would be eating like kings! And with all the shopping unloaded we set 
up the tent and had a very long overdue shower. The winter was finally coming to 
an end and the next day we would wake up to summer. Hopefully a warm and sunny one, 
which according to Icelandic folklore would only happen if the last winter night was 
nice and cold. And miraculously it was! What about this summer day?
Hot. Here we are. Very packed 
because of the winter clothes. It’s not winter clothes, it’s food.
It’s not food, it’s winter clothes. Unfortunately, the wind didn’t get the memo, and 
as per usual we were riding straight into it, and with a lot of traffic to boot.
I guess with the good weather, everyone was going to the Golden Circle… 
Thankfully, we only had to share the road for the next few kilometres. We were completely 
done with busy roads and popular attractions, so we were headed to a lesser 
known place, the Glymur waterfall. With the last rays of sunshine we made it to the 
foot of the waterfall. Actually, just to the foot of the hike leading up to the waterfall. But with 
plenty of kilometres in our legs and the light quickly running out we decided to go up there 
tomorrow, and instead we set up camp nearby. Potatoes, Brocolis, Onions on the make, 
Tofu with barbecue sauce, really tasty! We are going there tomorrow for a 
hike, Glymur. And we will stay here. Bright and early next morning 
we made a quick breakfast, packed up, almost lost the tent to the wind… I know. And embarked on the little 
hike to the top of Glymur, which is the second tallest waterfall in all 
of Iceland! We were convinced it’s number one, but apparently they found a bigger 
one under a glacier somewhere… Immediately after starting the hike we met with 
the first problem, a log that was supposed to help us cross a river was not there, and with all the 
snow up in the highlands melting the current was too strong for us to safely get to the other side.
So, we had to take the different route, not only harder, but also without 
a view towards the waterfall. And the higher we got the more stunning 
the views of the valley below became, and soon enough we got a peek at Glymur.
Even though we could only see the very top, it definitely sounded like a tall waterfall. 
The water was falling with such force it was literally making clouds come out of the canyon. 
Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay up there for long, after sweating on the way up we were 
now completely freezing in the wind. Quick walk back down and 
we were back on the bikes. Only to realise the wind was just as strong 
down here as it was up there. The route was tough as well, constant ups and downs, we were 
climbing only to come back down minutes after. And even on the descents we had to pedal….
We rolled into a nearby campsite completely beat, but we were met with some free 
coffee, cookies, and some good company. Turns out, that was exactly what we needed. We 
originally thought about staying for the night, but after refueling and in a much better 
mood we decided to keep on pushing. Fortunately, soon enough, the 
headwind changed into a sidewind, the rolling hills tourned into mountain 
passes, and asphalt turned into gravel. And after a short but absolutely exhausting 
day, we arrived to yet another closed campsite and found some much needed shelter 
behind the camp toilets of all places. Little did we know, Iceland had something 
prepared to reward our struggle. Why were you laughing?
I don’t know. I don’t care if it’s hilarious, 
I’m finding it quite comfy. The next stop on our journey was another of 
first time experiences, or at least it was for me. We were headed to a hot pot, which in 
Iceland has nothing to do with asian cuisine, and all to do with geothermally heated water.
Our hot pot was a little natural lake with a big blue pipe sticking out of it. And out 
of that pipe boiling hot water was coming out and mixing with the cold lake, making 
for the perfect bathing temperature! Well, in some spots, if you entered the 
water too close to the source you could literally cook yourself alive.
So, we relaxed in there for a good while, taking in the views and trying our 
best to not get the mud everywhere. Couldn’t stay in there all day, though, 
and that was a bit of a problem. It’s very nice and hot, and 
now it’s very nice and cold. Thankfully, we found a small abandoned building to 
hide behind and we warmed up with some hot soup. The next day marked the unofficial end 
of the first leg of our trip. Only the Snæfellsnes peninsula stood between us and 
Stykkishólmur. From there we were catching a ferry to a place that brought 
us to Iceland in the first place. And after a small but tough climb we finally saw 
it, a white line of mountains in the distance, the most remote and rarely 
visited part of the country, the magnificent Westfjords! Home of huge climbs, 
gravel roads, seals, whales, and arctic foxes, you name it. And in just a few hours 
we would be there. It would be by far the biggest challenge of the whole trip, but 
also some of the best riding we’ve ever done. But that will have to wait for part 
2! If you enjoyed our journey so far, make sure to like the video and 
if you want to keep up with all our adventures make sure to subscribe to 
the channel, we are just getting started!