This is based on an e-mail sent to the Icelandic Mountain Bike Club shortly after our return.

We recently returned from Iceland after attempting to cycle the Old Gæsavatnaleið from Askja through to Nýidalur (in the middle of Sprengissandur). We were inspired by the hero of Desmond Bagley's "Running Blind" who took this route to flee from his pursuing Russian spies. We'd both seen the BBC adaptation of this in the late 1970's and it really made an impression on us, it being filmed entirely on location.

After the first seven km (after leaving Dreki hut near Askja) we hit soft black sand across the road. Cycling was completely impossible even on wide tyres. You just couldn't keep your balance as the wheels sank right into it. We started pushing our bikes through the sand. It was a case of half lifting, half pushing the bikes to stop them sinking into the sand. We did this for five hours, taking it in turns to do 50 metres each at the front as it was easier to follow in the other's tyre tracks behind. We managed 12km in that time. Two cars passed us - one driver coming from Nýidalur said the sand continued for another 5 to 10 km. When the wind picked up in the afternoon and we were caught in sand storm, we put the tent up to shelter. We knew that if the sand continued much further we'd run out of food or water before we got to Nýidalur. We had food for four to five days and we'd no idea where the next source of fresh water was. Walking the whole route would have taken much longer than that. We decided that we would ask the next car for help - either to take us ahead to the end of the sand, or back to Dreki hut near Askja. We waited one and a half hours for the next car to turn up. Fortunately they were part of a three car convoy and between us they were able to take us - unfortunately they were going back to Askja, so we abandoned our attempt. Our rescuers told us that the black sand continued most of the way to Nýidalur and "it was a good job you gave up".

We were told that due to the unseasonal dry weather and high winds this summer, the sand was much deeper and softer than normal. The warden at Dreki (who was most helpful and very enthusiastic about our attempt) had said that some German cyclists had come through from Nyidalur four days before and had not mentioned the sand. She said the old Gæsavatnaleið was much more interesting than the new route, as Trölladyngja obscured the best views of Vatnajökull most of the way. She also said it would be easier on a bike than in a 4x4.

We replanned our holiday, and at least we got to climb Herðubreið - I'd seen this from the bus tour 14 years ago and vowed that one day I would climb it. What a fantastic view from the top! - standing there in T-shirts and shorts under a cloudless sky, able to see 150km in all directions. And we also met up again with some friends in Reykjahlið... So all was not lost.

A few days later, our bus over Sprengissandur stopped at Nýidalur for lunch. The warden there said no cyclists had come through from Askja recently. She said the Germans had left there about a week earlier. She also said that two French cyclists had left six days previously and had not been seen since and that the police were looking for them. We never found out what had happened to them...

A week later, cycling into Selfoss on Road 1, a driver overtook us, stopped ahead of us, jumped out and flagged us down. He asked if we were the cyclists he'd passed in the desert a week earlier. We said "Probably". He said he'd been in the brown van - and of course we remembered every vehicle which had passed us that day. He said he was so glad to see us again as they'd been so worried about us due to the sand!

We both had a wonderful time in Iceland. OK, the weather was pretty awful once or twice, but in the main it was OK and we'd had some fabulous days. I got quite a tan. We found the mountain hut wardens most helpful and friendly, especially Fanney at Dreki, and other Icelanders were very friendly too.

I'd recommend mountain biking in Iceland to any fit and healthy cyclists wanting a bit of adventure and flexible enough to change plans according to the weather. I stood up better than my bike did - both chain and pannier carrier broke in the first few days on the Kjölur pass. But we were able to continue. We have some great memories, and no doubt we shall return. If we take the bikes, however, it'll probably be on the back of a LandRover!

I hope you managed to have a good time too - let me know if you managed the Gæsavatnaleið OK.

Photos