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Iceland and Faroe Islands 2019 (#1)

Part 1: July 4th — 8th

By Watracz Is Traveling

October 24^th, 2020

Don’t drown your bike. And if you do, be sure you know how to fix it.

This was the advice I got before heading out to Iceland.

Iceland has always been near the top of my travel dreams. Naturally, I couldn’t even think of going through the endless lands of ice and fire using any other means of transportation than a motorcycle. I bought a ticket to a ferry from Denmark half a year earlier, for 600 EUR — there could be no turning back after that. I had to prepare myself well, both physically, mentally, and financially: the plan was to leave for 8 weeks, and Iceland is far from cheap.

Booking my ferry through the Smyril Line website, I selected the option with a stopover on the Faroe Islands, which I had the chance to visit a year before, by car. There are a few scenic routes over there that are perfect for a bike ride.

You can take a look at the map of the entire trip below, or using Google Maps (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

Day 1: Krakow → Berlin

July 4th, 2019

I leave Krakow rather late, at 10 am, and take the highway to Berlin. I pass Katowice and Wroclaw. It’s warm, and the ride is really nice. 680 kilometers on, I stop at Camping Zum Roten Milan not far from lake Ruppiner See (with a price per night of 5.5 EUR).

Day 2: Berlin → Hirtshals

July 5th, 2019

I depart from the campsite and take the highway towards Denmark. The further north I go, the worse the weather gets. The temperature drops to 14°C and it rains most of the way. I put on my fleece jacket and down mittens to keep my back and hands warm.

I stop in Denmark to fill up the bike. It’s the kind of gas station where you put in your credit card, enter the PIN and only then can you use the pump. I fill the bike up (155 DKK) and check the Revolut app to see what the exchange rate was. I’m surprised to see that my account was charged not 155, but 1,200 DKK — almost 8 times more than the actual transaction! The serviceman tells me it’s some sort of a hold on the card, and that the money should be returned to my card in a few days. Well, I have no choice but to take his word. Unfortunately, it’s not like I can take back the transaction and pay in cash. I ask for the receipt, because I didn’t get one at the pump. It might come in handy in case the money doesn’t make it back to me. The serviceman says the next time I stop for gas I’ll deal with the same type of hold. I can’t say these are friendly procedures they have here. I’ll need to pay cash wherever I can.

Hirtshals

I reach Hirtshals around 6 pm. It’s pretty chilly, 15°C, but you can feel the crisp sea air. The campsite is in the western part of town, close to the sea. The night is about 130 DKK. I set up my tent, ride to the supermarket to buy some food, see the port and the town. I have a beer and scrambled eggs for dinner, then hit the hay. It’s still light out at 10 pm, but I need to be up bright and early, before 7 am.

Day 3: Hirtshals → Faroe Islands

July 6th, 2019

I manage to pack around 7:30 am, and I leave the campsite before 8. The ferry from Hirtshals only departs at noon, so I still have plenty of time to look around the area. A few kilometers southwest from the town I find an entrance to the beach. I take it and ride along the coast, the bike cutting through the swash.

Norröna

After an hour of playing in the sand and saltwater, I really need to wash the bike. I go to a car wash, buy 5 tokens (a single one gets you 2 minutes of wash action and costs 20 DKK), and try to clean the bike as much as I can.

I pull over at a gas station to buy some oil as backup, then head to the ferry terminal. I’m the first one in the motorcycle queue. When the crew signals us to move, we board the Norröna. We park in dedicated spots for bikes, and secure them with tension straps so they stay upright on the way. It’s not easy, so I need to ask one of the crewmembers to give me a hand.

I take my luggage and go check out my bed, i.e. one of the six bunks in a small sleeping cabin.

The cruise to Tórshavn takes 36 hours. I lay out my sleeping bag, lock the rest of my luggage in a locker, and go to see what points of interest the colossal, 165-meter-long ferry has. The Norröna has 9 decks; two of those are parking decks, one of which is a double-story one. Apart from that, we have a gym, a swimming pool, a sauna, a jacuzzi, an arcade, a grocery store, restaurants, cafes, pubs, playgrounds, a helipad, even a cinema — it’ll be hard to get bored, even during a cruise that long.

After dinner I have a stretch at the gym, but the ferry’s rocking gives me a headache, so I go to bed. During the night, a storm throws the ferry around quite a bit. There are weird cracks coming from the lower decks, and it sounds like we keep hitting something, but I’m just hoping it’s normal and I have nothing to worry about.

Day 4: Atlantic Ocean → Faroe Islands

July 7th, 2019

Tórshavn

I get up at 8 am, have breakfast and a morning coffee, then a trip to the gym and the sauna. I meet a few bikers who plan to tour Iceland and we talk about the routes we have planned. In the evening, we take our stuff from the cabins and, around 9:30 pm, we arrive at the Tórshavn terminal. I set off towards the campsite, and I don’t even have to turn the satnav on, because I can remember the way from my previous time here. There’s a ton of people at the campsite. I think most of the ferry’s passengers are staying here. I pay 295 DKK for three nights upfront, then I put up the tent and go to sleep.

Day 5: Vestmanna, Saksun, Tjørnuvík

July 8th, 2019

I wake up at 7 am, make scrambled eggs for breakfast (the campsite has a well-equipped kitchen), hot tea for the road, and I head out to ride around the area. It looks like it’s going to be a nice day.

Norðradalsvegur

The picturesque road to the village of Norðradalur. The island of Koltur can be seen in the horizon.

Sornfelli

The Sornfelli plateau is the home to a meteorological station. A narrow, steep road leads up to the parking lot at 630 m a.s.l.; the highest road in the Faroe Islands.

About halfway down the road I leave the tarmac for a bit of off-roading. A herd of sheep, very interested in my bike, grazes here.

Leynar

A brief rest at a beach. I eat sandwiches and relax while listening to the sound of the waves. Bliss.

Vestmanna

It’s the seventh-largest town in the Faroe Islands, with more than 1,200 residents. To be honest, I don’t see anything interesting here other than a small port and rows of colorful houses.

To the east of Vestmanna lie two small lakes. The road leading here is steep and narrow, and ends at a viewpoint.

Curious little houses between Vestmanna and Kvívík. I wonder if I can spend the night in one of them?

A while later, an elderly Japanese man stops next to me. He tells me his life story; he’s 79 and he moved to the Faroe Islands 40 years ago trying to find peace. He tells me how much people work back in Japan and how little they have time to rest. In the end, he gifts me yogurt and some cream :)

Saksun

One of the coolest roads in the islands takes you through the valley between Streymnes and Saksun. It’s got a lot of turns, mountains on both sides of the road, and really good tarmac. The only thing you have to be careful about are the cars coming from the other side. The road is only wide enough for one vehicle, so you need to let the others pass by pulling over into a passing bay.

In Saksun, I stop by the Heljardalsa waterfall. Last year, I walked along the Pollurin lagoon all the way to the spot where it falls into the sea, but today it’s definitely too hot for a long walk in motorcycle gear.

Tjørnuvík

I pass the Fossá waterfall and reach the northernmost village on the island of Streymoy. Off in the horizon, you can see the two stacks of Risin og Kellingin (the Giant and the Witch). The Giant is 71, and the Witch is 68 meters tall.

At 7:30 pm I start back to Tórshavn. On the way I stop for a while by the Fossá waterfall.

Back in Tórshavn, I do a bit of shopping in the Bonus grocery store, get gas, and oil the bike’s chain.

The new year comes with a nice surprise!

Motorcycle-Diaries magazine will be publishing short stories about my struggles in Iceland. The first part is already printed and available for purchase at the link below (December edition). Subsequent parts are coming over the next several issues. It's a great feeling, seeing myself among the many travelers that inspired me so far. I hope it motivates me even more to take long journeys like that one, even despite this pandemic that we continue to deal with.