AN INDIAN IN VIKING LANDS

Sébastien and Olivier enjoy travelling as much as they do their Indian Roadmaster and Chieftain Dark Horse; they’re just back from an unforgettable summer road trip in Iceland. It took some planning: the country is full of extremes, even in summer. Sébastien told us the story.

I set off from Angers on my beautiful Roadmaster on Friday August 8. We quickly covered 1800km (in three 600km stages) across France, Belgium,
Germany and Denmark.
On the morning of the 12th (after taking the time to enjoy a great day in the magnificent resort town of Løngstrup) I boarded the MS Norröna, a Smyril-Line ferry. Boarding on Deck 4 was very straightforward, even for a very heavy bike. After carefully strapping down the machine (make sure to bring your own straps) I found my 9-bunk cabin. After 60 hours and a very choppy voyage of just under 1600km across the North Atlantic, at last the east coast of Iceland and the port of Seyðisfjorður came into view. It was very exciting when my wheels hit the Icelandic soil on July 14. A few hundred metres further on, I met up with my best friend Olivier and his Chieftain Dark Horse, and we set off on our first stage towards the south along the winding roads bordering the eastern fjords. Our plan was to travel all the way round the island in two weeks and try and see as much as we could along the way.

When you reach Iceland – a land of Vikings, legends, ice and fire – as my friend Olivier says you have to be ready for visual overload! Everything’s a source of wonder; even with photos, details, and stories it’s hard to really do justice to the amazing variety of extraordinary landscapes we passed through.
If you make the journey, you’ll see the mountains around the eastern fjords plunging into the sea; ride alongside black sand beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see; cross broad deltas, work your way through huge moss-covered lava fields and flows, and pass the base of glaciers and their glacial lakes where blue icebergs float as if you were at the poles; you’ll travel roads winding through dry landscapes that look like they belong on the moon, amid deserts of rock and ash. Your bike will take you along the foot of looming mountains, barely slumbering volcanoes, and outlandishly coloured geothermal fields with smoke spiralling from below. You can stroll along the fault line between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. From the edge of the summit craters of some of the volcanoes, you can glimpse the turquoise lakes within – and be mesmerised by the roaring power of the country’s waterfalls.

You’ll undoubtedly be wearing your Gore-Tex gear, with padding and protection. Bring warm gloves and underwear – the average temperature is 13°. You get used to it very quickly, but sometimes it can get as low as 7° and be very damp. You need to be prepared for it to be raining throughout your stay. If you’re ready for something a little more challenging, take your tent – but watch out for the wind, which can be very strong at times. Bear in mind you’re in the middle of the North Atlantic, 300km from Greenland and at the edge of the Arctic Circle! On July 28 we boarded the ferry to return home and felt it was over far too soon. To make things last that bit longer we stopped off for three days on the Faroe Islands, where we enjoyed more fabulous views on our rides!
This archipelago is quite simply fantastic; you really have to see it for yourself. The 1800km trip back along the motorway from Hirtshals to Angers wasn’t exactly unforgettable, but it was all part of the experience! The extreme heat made it a long, tough ride, and we were sad that our wonderful road trip would soon be over. By August 4, we were back in our village – and it took some time for us to digest everything we’d seen and done!”