Iceland and the Faroe Islands - 31 days

[Cali4nia-Dream]

Not being quite as adventurous as some of the contributors on here we are looking into an escorted tour of Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
The trip lasts 31 days so we would be grateful for some advice from those of you who have been, and those who have had Cali's for some time


Camping Gaz
Looking at the itinerary of 31 days, with limited electricity would one 907 bottle be enough? (old MH had 2 6KG propane bottles or 7kg Butane so never had to think about this)

Underbody Protection
Bearing in mind the organisers are suggesting it is suitable for caravans do you think I will have any problems with a 2wd Ocean - how necessary is protection like a sump guard?

Any advice on these and other Iceland related matters greatly appreciated

 

[Hotel California]

If you search you find some great reports from others who been there:

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/iceland-2017.19421/

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/iceland-2016.15397/

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/iceland-road-trip-2015.13418/

If you leave off with a full 907 and take a spare 904 or 907 and you should have enough gas imo.

 

[bvddobb]

It will depend on your itinerary on Iceland. But our guess is that such an organised trip as you describe will be a ring road trip, and then you don't need any special kit on your Cali. Even the two westernmost traditional cross country highland roads, Kjolur and Kaldidalur, have no river fords anymore, they are just gravel/dirt roads. Any Cali with sturdy tyres could do them. It will take a toll on your suspension, though.

Kjolur, near Hveravellir:

If you guys want to venture into the Highlands, that is another matter.

We took a 907 and two spares: far too much! One 907 and one spare will be enough.

 

[bvddobb]

Some other tips, perhaps, for 'regular' Calis:

When on the Faroe Islands, do stay on the camping at Gjógv. A very nice little town of its own with a beautiful cove and very nice access road. In the evening, climb the hill on the other side of the cove. The seaside of that hill hosts a large colony of puffins, which let you get very close.

On Iceland, even if you are a regular Cali 'only', there are some very nice and very doable side trips 'off' the beaten ring road track you could consider:

• Your tour will no doubt visit Godafoss, one of the very famous waterfalls, right on the ring road. Therefore, the parking and surrounding will be very busy. If you drive upstream, over a very doable gravel road (the 842, that will go over in the beginning of the F26, Sprengisandur), you will find first the Aldeyarfoss, and a bit further upstream and up the F26 the Hrafnabjargafoss. While there wil be 1000 at the Godafoss, there will be 10 at Aldeyarfoss, and there will be no one at the Hrafnabjargafoss.
• Your tour will probably also visit Ásbyrgi and/or the Dettifoss. The Dettifoss is now reachable via a tarmac road from the ring road, and thus a very busy car park, coaches, a 1000 tourists, etc. More interesting is to follow the gravel road on the east side of the river from Ásbyrgy (864) to the south. You can visit and walk right up to the Dettifoss and Selfoss from that road.
• If you go to the big car park on the west side of Dettifoss nonetheless, just a little up north is a little gravel road with a small sign (easily overlooked) to Hafragilsfoss. Again, no one ventures up that road, and it is very doable.
• And we would think the Old Kjolur (F756) and Kjolur (35) roads are a very doable cross-country alternative for the ring road, doable for any Cali with good suspension and sturdy tyres.
• The same for the Kaldidalur road (F550).
• As far as puffins go: don't know if you would go that far, but at the end of road 94 in the North-East there is a very famous puffin rock, even with a bird watching hut, at Höfn past Bakkagerdi/Borgafjörður.

On the Old Kjolur/Kjolur trail you also need a full tank of fuel:

 

[Velma's Dad]

It will depend on your itinerary on Iceland. But our guess is that such an organised trip as you describe will be a ring road trip, and then you don't need any special kit on your Cali. Even the two westernmost traditional cross country highland roads, Kjolur and Kaldidalur, have no river fords anymore, they are just gravel/dirt roads. Any Cali with sturdy tyres could do them. It will take a toll on your suspension, though.

+1 for that. The coastal ring is beautiful tarmac. And the 'Keel Road' (that's the F35 - the Kjolur and Kjalvegur that bvdddddobbbbb refers to ) across the western interior is absolutely fine: well-graded dirt. You might just get some stone chips.

But the main question will be timing - as you probably realise, the summer (snow-free) season is very short. Even in late August we hit a sudden blizzard while driving up Askja (in a Landcruiser, not a Cali, but the snow got very deep very quickly). If it's an organised trip they'll be well aware of the weather risks to the itinerary. and won't allow you to take unsuitable vehicles into the interior I'm sure.

You'll learn the importance of sensible fuel planning. Those signs like the one in Bart and Marga's pics above are really true. We eventually came across one of those signed 'petrol stations' after a couple of hundred km across the interior, and it turned out to be a rusty old diesel tank in a deserted farmyard. (But don't worry because the coast road has plenty of fuel options.)

It will be a superb trip, Iceland is stunning. And I'm intrigued by the Faeroes, keep us in touch with how your planning goes for that.

 

[bvddobb]

[...] We eventually came across one of those signed 'petrol stations' after a couple of hundred km across the interior, and it turned out to be a rusty old diesel tank in a deserted farmyard. [...]

Ha, ha, yes, like this one! And this particular one was empty when we got there...

 

[johnyboy]

bvddobb has provided some great info - there is nothing to be scared of - we did it (including gravel roads) in a rented Yaris

 

[Cali4nia-Dream]

We appreciate all the feedback so far.

Please keep the comments coming.

We have been looking at the customs regulations about the quantity of food you can take in (3kg per person, with quite a few limitations as well). Did this pose any problems as it seems quite a small amount?

The biggest problem we have at the moment is organising some care/assistance for my mother whilst we are away, if we cant resolve that the trip may have to be postponed until that can be solved.

 

[bvddobb]

We have been looking at the customs regulations about the quantity of food you can take in (3kg per person, with quite a few limitations as well). Did this pose any problems as it seems quite a small amount?

No, you can buy anything you need on Iceland, there are enough shops in the ring road villages, most petrol stations have a small shop.
In Egilsstaðir, the first town you pass through when you come from the ferry (Seyðisfjörður), there is a huge supermarket. Everybody coming from the ferry stops and shops there, you can't miss it , and you will find an ATM across the street. On the days the ferry berths in Seyðisfjörður, the supermarket opens at 09:00, roughly the time people start arriving there from the ferry...

 

[Cali4nia-Dream]

A big thank you to every one who has posted items about Iceland and the Faroe Islands it was very useful background information. Sadly since our return there have been lots of domestic challenges which are delaying me in compiling an overview of the trip. Hopefully something will be posted shortly.

 

[Skylark2.0]

A big thank you to every one who has posted items about Iceland and the Faroe Islands it was very useful background information. Sadly since our return there have been lots of domestic challenges which are delaying me in compiling an overview of the trip. Hopefully something will be posted shortly.

Can't wait to hear about your trip. You can do a bit at a time rather than all at once. I love posts like this, keeps us armchair travellers sane!