The house is full of kit... body armour litters the living room, boots in corners, lids in bags, pairs of gloves, jackets and pants everywhere... off on an adventure? Nope getting ready for the BMW Off Road Skills course at the weekend.
Will I finally learn how to brake going down hill and overcome my fear of the face plant?
Will Jules make me look a complete wuss like she did in Iceland?
Whatever happens will be fun. Really looking forward to it and have spent a fortune on new kit. Think it will be good to review ythem after we get back and put them through their paces. Nothing special, bit budget kit for the beginner in gravel roading or green laning to look out for.
Monday, 2 June 2014
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Iceland - Along the Kaldidalur
Iceland - one of the last true frontiers left in Western Europe. The riding on the interior and many coast roads is exhilarating and scary in the same kilometer. You go from tarmac to gravel and back again many times and with the National Limits so low you are never in any danger if you keep your wits about you.
On your own bike you can ride any road, but with hire bikes ( which we did from the Biking Viking ) you cannot ride roads with water crossings. They are quite strict about this and anyone found on an F designated road without insurance will be very heavily fined... and all accident cover is lost, so drown a bike... you pay for it!
Luckily there is a true bit of adventure riding available. Route 550 or the Kaldidalsvegur - Cold Valley Road. This is an ancient pack horse route that is well known from the Saga's. it was the route followed by many Icelanders from the North to the Alþingi at Þingvellir from the Reykholt - Husafell area . Historically this is the route followed by one of the famous writers of of Icelandic Sagas Snorri Sturluson and raises up to a height of 727m which is fairly mountainous for this part of Iceland.
The 60 kms of gravel do take it out of you though. When you head North and get to the T junction at Husafell, you have two choices. Turn left and get to the campsite at Husafell with it's thermal pool , shop, restaurant and families.. or just go there and stock up with food and fuel and head back to take the right hand fork over the hill to the small campsite and camping huts of ... farm.
We took the second option and didn't regret it.
The 60 kms of gravel do take it out of you though. When you head North and get to the T junction at Husafell, you have two choices. Turn left and get to the campsite at Husafell with it's thermal pool , shop, restaurant and families.. or just go there and stock up with food and fuel and head back to take the right hand fork over the hill to the small campsite and camping huts of ... farm.
We took the second option and didn't regret it.
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Rash or Fever....
They scare me and give me joy in equal amounts and often at the same time and never fail to make me grin ... gravel roads...
Gravel roads are often in places where civilisation is near but always far enough away to make them "adventurous" . Even so a walk to civilisation can be measured in days not the hours it took to get to the point on your bike where you need to get back on foot.
Gravel roads invariably take you to somewhere magnificent and leave you dust and sweat covered as you stand in awe and take in the views... be it a mountain pass, a desert, a fjord or all three in the same day!
Gravel roads are often in places where civilisation is near but always far enough away to make them "adventurous" . Even so a walk to civilisation can be measured in days not the hours it took to get to the point on your bike where you need to get back on foot.
Gravel roads invariably take you to somewhere magnificent and leave you dust and sweat covered as you stand in awe and take in the views... be it a mountain pass, a desert, a fjord or all three in the same day!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)