Iceland Bike Trip 2016 // Exploring Europe's best tour destination // Slow Bicycle Touring // World Bicycle Travel

Cycling in Iceland has been a highlight for my transitional year back in Canada. After a decade teaching in South Korea and China, I landed labor jobs in my hometown - including professional lawn mowing the past few months for Rosati construction. Although I wasn't ready to ride, with the help of my brother/father (Pub rescue the night before the train/plane/flight, I made it to Keflavik, Iceland and checked into Start Hostel.

 Arrival on Iceland Airlines. Keflavik airport. then assembled and cycled into Start Hostel. (: I slept for several hours and awoke, still daylight outside (18 hours of sunlight in August). I returned to the parking lot where I rode the rental bus shuttle, the driver understood I needed to drop at a safe spot and assemble my bicycle, load the panniers and suitcase (overloaded) and then I returned for the 29er box. I used the same box from Windsor to Toronto, Ontario (VIA Rail train), Icelandair to Keflavik, Iceland.

On the first few days, I wanted to avoid the busy Route 1, so I started south towards Hafnir and jogged the southern coast to Grindavik (day 1) after visiting the Blue Lagoon (sight seeing only) I cycled through the rains and strong winds into a campground. The next day, the weather lightened up to 10 Celcius and sunny, I continued to pedal through Selvogur, and settled into another camp site in Porlakshofen (day 2). I explored the local spas/family swimming pools and started to soak up the Icelandic sun.

Keflavik Airport is conveniently located nearby a former U.S. Air Force base. The housing complexes are now home to friendly Icelanders and Hostels like the Start pictured above. Hostels are not cheap in Iceland, this place had beds in shared rooms for $70 USD per night. It's best to start/finish a tour here. And camping runs about $17 USD per night across Iceland, plan to add $10 for the local Spa/Swimming Pools. It is well worth it to plan ahead for Iceland, or visiting Europe for a bicycle tour. It's expensive for bike travelers.

Smooth bike path and Highway access to Reykjavik, Iceland for those traveling North towards the West Fjords is a popular route from Keflavik airport in the southwest. I chose to pedal across the southern coastline towards the Blue Lagoon.

Smooth Icelandic open roads beckon and welcome travelers, campers, cyclists, caravans from Europe and Iceland. I met German, American, Canadian, French, Italian, Spanish, and many other Europeans at campsites and some visiting the local municipal swimming pools to soak in geothermal water. It's awesome!

 Expect different types of weather, I was soaked to the bones - absolutely frozen wet inside and out.

Land Rovers are popular vehicles for F-Roads and camping across Iceland.

My Daily Routine in Iceland:

Each day, sleep, eat, cycle all day, find a municipal swimming pool with spa and check into a campsite. I would setup my tent, lock the bike, and enter the swimming pool as soon as possible for a warm soak. Once I settled down for the day, I would swim, socialize and sun tan poolside, and repeat!.

I cycled inland and up to Selfoss (Day 3/4) (the southern hub for trekking/cycling trips into the interior. There I met David at the local Spa/Geothermal Swimming pool in Selfoss. We also met some Norweigians and had a great conversation about the country. The warm waters in the jacuzzis contrasted perfectly following ice-cold days cycling, the hardest being wet from sweat, and wet from rain blowing in horizontal due to all the prevailing winds. Iceland lives up to it's name, even in summer, but the geothermal energy is harnessed and water flows into the Spas in most larger towns. Icelanders prefer hydroelectric and geothermal power over the wind-turbine technologies being towered across Canada today. The prefer to preserve the natural landscapes, and I am sure visitors from around the world on tours prefer it.

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More stories and photos coming soon! (:

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 (Foss) Waterfalls are abundant in Iceland, they are marked on maps and roadsigns. Some are 500 meters from the main roads, others are hidden throughout the backroads. It's easy to explore here, 100,000 square Kilometers of landscape, with a local population of 320,000 people, Iceland is a unique country with culture, customs, language and friendly locals that take their time and welcome visitors. It's the place to explore.

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Pedal slowly, see more Flora details in the landscape. Here in Iceland, it's a world to explore.

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“Riding bicycles will not only benefit the individual doing it, but the world at large.”
Udo E. Simonis, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Policy at the Science Centre, Berlin

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MORE STORIES AND PHOTOS COMING SOON FROM ICELAND, ENGLAND, FRANCE 2016

Microadventure // Trekking in Daegwallyeong Mountain // S24O // South Korea winter backpacking in Gangwon Province // Public sauna spas in Korea 찜질방 // Camping spas and winter trekking // Brian Peric presents

 How do you start off on a microadventure? 

Well, it's easy. Pack your lightweight backpack with extra shirts, wear merino wool base layers in winter that keep you warm and dry easily, and remember to take a pot/lid, cook stove (butane is good), noodles, tuna can, nuts, raisins and 3-4 liters of water for two people.

Where did our overnight microadventure begin?

We started this adventure from my apartment in Gangneung City, Gangwon-do, South Korea. We walked for 10 minutes to the Gangneung Express Bus terminal, and bought 2,500 Korean won tickets to Hoenggye village near YongPyong 2018 Olympic ski area in Pyeongchang county.

Daniel Bissell is my guest for this trip and together we make a great microadventure team for spring trekking in South Korea. We hiked for two half days and completed about 7 hours of walking along a 20km course from Hoenggye village, Pyeongchang county back into the Pine City in Gangneung, Gangwon-do.

We decided on a winter #microadventure this weekend S24O (Sub-24 hour Overnight) trek through Daegwallyeong via Hoenggye and Gangneung, South Korea. We started out on a Thursday afternoon from Gangneung City, Gangwon-do Express Bus terminal, we took a 20 minute bus ride over the Taebaeksan coastal mountain range between the 2018 Winter Olympic region of Pyeongchang county to Hoenggye village. Express bus tickets can be purchased on location (2,500 Korean won) one-way for Hoenggye village. Once inside the small town, it's a relatively easy walk through town, past bakeries and convenience stores for your fresh bread and hot coffee (CU Mart is just East of the Bus Terminal, walk towards the Taebaek Mountains in the distance).

There are a series of small rural roads that will connect with Highway 456 and the official starting point of the trail head. We used to DH mountain there in 2011 with Ahn Daegi from Gagneung Bike Mart, but the trail has officially closed to mountain biking since it's shared with hikers and trekking groups. It's a quiet trail. This is nothing like Bukansan Mountain in northern Seoul or Seoraksan Mountain trekking S24O in Sokcho-dong. There are also many Korean national parks to choose from, each geographical location and trail network is quite unique to explore.

I have had several previous Microadventures in South Korea, including the Mountain Cougar (Puma) crossing Microadventure S24O. In autumn, you can see the colors changing on the deciduous trees, on this 24-hour mountain bike microadventure I met up with a mother Cougar or mountain puma while cycling from Gangneung on Daegwallyeong Highway 456 and south through the Taebaeksan Mountains on Highway 6/59 South from Jinbu village. On the southbound two-lane highway through a beautiful mountain plateau, I passed small farms and followed the Odaecheon river. Gangwon Province's Taebaeksan mountains are located in a northeast region of South Korea with 1000 meter+ peaks and colorful forests, mountain streams with cascading waterfalls with extensive hiking trails and Korean national parks dedicated to free public usage.

Mountain bike microadventures (Puma Crossing)

 Downhill DH winter mountain biking on Daegwallyeong trail. Location is nearby the Sheep farm paid trails.

 On the Daegwallyeong trail we immediately found a hard snow pack which made the hike relatively easy.

 Gangwon-do is well known for it's pine forests, we walked through many of those small forests.

 Open spaces for clearing your thoughts, burning calories, relaxing in nature, one with the surroundings.

 Looking through a fence outside the Sheep farm, a beautiful open range looking west towards Hoenggye.

 Icicles and pine trees budding, it's almost spring here.

 Oh winter, loving the trail hikes in Korea!

 

 We walked up the service road and examined the military surveillance station closed to the public. 

 Local hiking clubs visiting the Daegwallyeong trail leave their pennants.

 Watch tower is empty but a reminder of the North and South Korean military occupations since the Korean War of 1950-1953. Although military activity has ceased in this particular part of the trail, I have seen patrols occasionally. Fortunately, most activity is north of the Daegwallyeong-myeon area.

 Koreans put park benches along the hiking trail, just where you need them.

 The Daegwallyeong trail crosses over Freeway-Highway 65 connecting Sokcho City and the southern cities

 Our microadventure was simple. We decided to Express Bus to Hoenggye village (2,500won) and hike back down Daegwallyeong trail (parallel to Old Daegwallyeong Highway 456) and along this route we had great views of the adjacent mountains, streams flowing. The sights and sounds were relaxing. 

 We rounded out the day with a dinner of vegetarian delight, some ramen noodles, Daniel prepared the chili bean sandwiches on whole wheat bread, and the chili bean can itself was used as a warming cup for hot coffee. We enjoyed dinner past sunset and decided to continue through hiking to a local public Bathhouse Sauna (Jimjilbang) located along Old Daegwallyeong Highway 456 west of Gangneung. When visiting Korea, always remember to visit a Jim-Jil-Bang bathhouse. This location charges 7,500 Korean won for Gangneung residents, blankets are rented for 1,000 Korean won.

Daniel spoke Korean and asked to kept our backpacks behind the public sauna's (Jim-jil-bang) front desk. After a good soak in the spa, hot rooms, and cave rooms (very very hot dry sauna) we asked for another set of shirts and shorts (a uniform rented by the sauna) to sleep in. They have mats and rectangular vinyl pillows available to sleep on, they are always free to use in South Korea. 

A Jimjilbang (Hangul: 찜질방; hanja: -房) is a large, gender-segregated public bathhouse in Korea, furnished with hot tubs, showers, Korean traditional kiln heated saunas.

Need a microadventure idea of your own?  (: Thank you for visiting the Korean world.