Michael Ho - Personal Website

Day 9 of my Iceland cycling trip. A day of cycling towards the glaciers and discovering Diamond beach.

Tuesday, 1st of August, 2023

I stopped in town to re-supply and made some chit-chat with some French cyclists at the grocery store who were going in the other direction. It’s always exciting to compare bikepacking gear and find out what others had planned in Iceland. I had found at this point that almost everyone I met was cycling in the opposite direction. I do wonder which way is more enjoyable.

I made some great sightseeing stops on this day. The glaciers were constantly on the horizons while cycling along the No. 1 road and there were great view points along the way. And the weather was warm and sunny which made cycling very easy.

diamond beach

Diamond beach was incredible, it was a small bay full of icebergs and seals swimming around. I had never seen such a thing. Definitely the highlight of my trip. Viewing Jökulsárlón from the neighbouring viewpoints was amazing.

I pushed through the farmlands as the evening drew closer, stopping at a diner in the middle of nowhere called Veitingasala Restaurant, Shop, And Gas. The food here was great so I recommend the stop.

food

I camped that night at Skaftafell national park. Here I met Leonardo, an Italian bikepacker who had finished cycling up in the highlands on the No. 28 road. I found the cyclists out here in Iceland were all very experienced and doing cool activities, it felt like a great experience interacting with the bikepacking community this way. Leo was headed in the same direction as me so we ended up bouncing into each other continuously the next few days, adding a new dynamic to my trip.