THE WESTFJORDS WAY
BIKEPACKING ADVENTURE IN ICELAND
Here's a short film (see below) and a few images from an incredible bikepacking adventure I went on along with Chris Burkard, Lael Wilcox, Rugile Kaladyte, Payson McElveen and Nichole Baker. In eight days they biked more than 1.000 km (620 miles), unsupported, around the entire Westfjords in Iceland. Being one of the island's most exposed regions, a big theme of the journey was headwind, rain and a lot of climbing. But with all that came countless waffles, incredible natural hot springs and an occasional sunshine.
I'm very grateful to have been a part of and get to document this unique journey.
For more adventures in Iceland, head over to my Instagram.
HOT POOLS AND NATURAL HOT SPRINGS
Even though the Westfjords is one of the most exposed regions in Iceland, you're never far from a warm haven in the form of hot water. With an abundance of geothermal energy, old pools, hot tubs and natural hot springs are spread all over the fjords. The group rarely skipped one and even made some detours every now and then to get warm and clean while soaking in hot natural water. Just like the locals have done for centuries.
"ÁFRAM GAKK"
Day after day, after a good night's sleep, the group woke up, sat back up on their bikes and pedalled on. It was very impressive watching them keep going. Despite their struggles, there was no shortage of smiles and laughs as the group experienced Iceland in one of the most visceral ways possible.
As we say in Iceland: "Áfram gakk." - meaning "On we go."
WATCH THE FILM
A FEW MOMENTS ON FILM
A also brought with me a point and shoot film camera (Nikon L35AF) loaded with a Kodacolor 200. I'm personally a big fan of film photos so here's a few snaps for fun.
© 2021 Þráin Kolbeinsson
THE WESTFJORDS WAY | bikepacking adventure in Iceland (2021)
Photography and film by Thrainn Kolbeinsson
