Arctic Bike Extreme

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Last night was windy as hell but morning has broken to sunny skies and flat calm sea…well so far anyway!

We have a very light breakfast of a couple of flat breads and tea/coffee.

I want to set off early as I’m not sure of the exact loading time. I do know that it’s a very strict 9am ropes off! We decide to leave the van on the campsite as it’s only a 10 minute walk to the harbour. Probably more secure than a car park where everyone has gone off on a several hour boat trip!

We arrive at 8.20am. Plenty of time the gang plank has not been opened yet and there’s a small group of folk waiting on the quayside.

It’s 8.30am and we are on! Our names are ticked off on the boarding sheet and our mobile ticket is checked. The boat looks reasonably comfortable. Downstairs we have a cafe and loos, plus some bunk beds which are available for a small extra fee. Upstairs an inner cabin with airline style seats but with plenty of legroom. There are TV screens which is slightly disappointing, I’m one for enjoying the ride in peace but I guess it depends what they are playing. It’s a three hour trip across to Grimsey.

We settle in, nabbing a couple of decent seats half way down the boat and Ian goes off to explore the outer deck. An open back deck with some wooden park bench style seats and an upper open deck.

The peace is shattered as a large group of Americans get on board. First they must locate the sick bags and now they must spread out all around the boat as they are certain that we will sail half empty. Are there any comfy seats outside one lady asks? I ask you! It may be sunny and flat calm today but it’s a rarity I think! I’m silently wishing there was a comfy seat outside that she could move to!

It’s now 8.45am and all the local Icelandic people have arrived. In fact there are very few spare seats now! At 8.55 the clattering of metal signals that the gangplank is being drawn in and at 9am exactly we chug out of harbour. This is a commercial enterprise first with passengers thrown in as an extra! At 9am also the TVs spring to life and we get the safety briefing in Icelandic with English subtitles. It’s how to put on a life vest. I’ve already checked out the RIBS.

The TV continues with film on what we might see on the journey accompanied by music and Icelandic folk song. It turns out to be quite interesting and lasts 45 minutes. Then, on a loop, it starts all over again…s I’m guessing that will be three more times n total…just incase we missed it the first, second or third time. I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll have it another four times on the way back!

OK, so what have we learned from the film? First that there is no shame in being sea sick…in fact most of the regular sailors are sea sick too. The guy interviewed said he was only sick for the first 35 years but not so much these past 4 years! There is a store on the us,and…called The Store. Apparently they couldn’t think of a better name. There is a school with around nine kids and they sing every day. The population is 70-90 and a5 one point every kid in the school had the same great-grandmother.

We also learn about the history of the island and how people went there in rowing boats in the old days. They were all dressed in their Sunday best for their special excursion. The boys grow up learning to climb cliffs so it’s no big deal. There are no rats, mice, cats, dogs or mink there. Domestic pets are not allowed as they spoil the peace and quiet…hmmm I wish they had that rule in our road at home!

They also eat a lot of eggs there…birds eggs which they harvest from the cliffs. Apparently eggs make you very strong and enable you to live a long life…the birds are plentiful so pinching their eggs is fine, they have plenty to go round.

Polar bears have been seen on Grimsey, but not for a good few years - global warming I guess. The houses have very narrow entrances to discourage bears - they don’t like confined spaces. One was shot here and subsequently stuffed - it can be seen in Husevik Museum.

It’s very pleasant out on deck. We are almost half way to Grimsey now and have left the fjord for open sea. It’s slightly more bouncy as one might expect, but still feeling OK. No sign of any whales yet…a bit of a disappointment, but hey we’re not there yet!

Up on the top deck I meet Theo. He is from Seattle but living in Sweden but also now in Iceland as he is an ornithologist working at the university in Akureyri. He has seen some whales but only in the far distance. He will lend me his binoculars if he sees them again.

Having fully layered up in two wicking T shirts and full thermals under my cord trousers and two fleeces, I had to pretty much strip down to one top and two bottom layers when we boarded this morning as the cabin is warm and the sun is beating through the windows…as usual we picked the wrong side of the boat to sit on. Now, at the front of the boat, top deck, it’s pretty nippy. I definitely need my woolley hat and gloves!

Back downstairs and Ian is snoozing - honestly that boy can sleep anywhere! At least he hasn’t started snoring yet.

It’s 12.15pm and we have docked in the small harbour at Grimsey. I make sure I’m at the head of the queue. There are five mountain bikes to hire here and I want to make sure that two of them have our names on them! I’m not even sure where the bike hire shop is, but as it turns out it’s right next to the hot dog van! Are the bikes suitable for visiting the monument I ask? Yes…it’s mainly gravel or mud tracks but it’s very doable. Sold! I’ll take two please! Just in time because Theo is just behind us and he takes the last bike.

So now we pedal along the tarmac road alongside the air strip. A big group are walking across the road and there’s no bell on the bike so I shout out ‘excuse me please’, a woman jumps aside and almost falls in a ditch…oops. She says she’s ok so we pedal off into the distance.

Our first stop is at the ‘old arctic circle marker’. They move it because the arctic circle is moving further north periodically (ie all the time but I don’t know how far/how often). The marker is a bit like the sign post at John o’Groats in Scotland with signs showing places and their distances from here. There is a step ladder so that you can physically cross over it. Back in town you can buy an ‘I crossed the Arctic Circle certificate’ - don’t think I’ll bother!

From here the tarmac turns to rough stone/baked mud track and it’s pretty steep in places. Whoever said this island is flat lied! Still, we have a hood head start. We push the bikes up to the top and we are met with another very steep rough track down to the new Arctic Circle marker. We can see it in the distance. It’s a simple outward and back track so we abandon the bikes and walk it. It’s very unlikely they will get pinched here!

By this time we are also very hot. The sun is baking and not a scrap of wind. Our waterproofs have thankfully not seen the light of day and we are sweltering in our multiple base layers! There is no-one around so it’s time to strip off! Two fleeces, secondary wicking t shirt, and thermal tops and leggings are all discarded and need to be stashed in our rucksacks…it’s a bit of an ask but we just about manage to cram them in between us.

Down at the bottom, almost at the northern tip of the island is a huge concrete sphere. It was placed here in 2017 and now represents the new arctic circle marker. They have the ability to roll it elsewhere as the position changes…until it rolls off the side of the island of course! Time for lots of photo opportunities!

Now we slog our way back up the slope, picking up our bikes in the way. A couple eating lunch at a picnic table ask us if we have been speeding. :-) It turns out they are native islanders and tell us we should take the cliff track back. It’s flatter and we have plenty of time before the ferry leaves. We take their advice up to a point. The top track has many muddy puddles but it’s a pleasant ride all the same and very peaceful with just the birds singing all around us. We have plenty more opportunities to get up close to the puffins.

We come to a fork in the track. The left hand one goes to the lighthouse at the opposite end of the island whilst the right returns us to the town. The left look dubious so we take the right, bumping down the stoney track all the way until we reach the airstrip.

We stop at a bench overlooking the harbour for our packed lunch and then use the tarmac road - mainly flat to pedal out to the lighthouse and basalt rocks.

Back in town we return our bikes and pop into the shop for hot waffles with whipped cream.

Unbelievably it’s nearly 4.30pm so we return to the ferry early to nab some prime position seats. They are just loading the fish from todays catch. We take our seats and, as before, we hear the clanking of the gang plank and the anchor being wound up promptly at 4.55pm. We depart at 5pm on the dot.

Now Ian is zonked out again. The sea is still calm…in fact better than coming…and the sun is less fierce. I see Theo who tells me that his bike chain snapped at the north end of the island. Phew, I’m glad we didn’t get that bike! Apparently one of the locals saw the problem and put his bike in his truck and drove him back into town.

It’s another three plus hour journey so I go up on deck. The wind is bitter now. I meet Gregory, a ski instructor. He is a dab hand at whale spotting and we see two of them - I think Gregory said it was minky.

Arriving back in Dalvik, the campsite is quite full tonight. Not a hope of getting in the kitchen and I also have to queue for a shower. We are too tired to care. We skip a cooked meal and go to bed!

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