Cumberland, near the east coast of central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, reminds me of Canmore, Alberta about 30 years ago.
A mountain biker’s mecca full of funky coffee shops, bike shops, and restaurants.
Plenty of live music.
Average age-38.
Average in nearby Parksville is about age-70. A retirement town.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I’ve been really enjoying flying drones.
Mine was the dumbest — and least expensive — in the DJI line-up, the original Mini S.E.
Getting ready for hiking / cycling 2024, I bought a DJI Mini 4 Pro drone. (My old drone broke in Idaho.)
Click PLAY or watch samples on YouTube.
Now have the DJI RC-N2 controller with the built-in screen. No longer need to hook up my phone.
I got the full Fly More Kit which includes 3 batteries, charging hub, carrying case, and extras.
Not inexpensive at CAD $1500 including tax.
Of course buying a warranty is essential. I paid CAD $170 (USD $125) / 2 years. I can replace the drone carcass up to 3 times. But IF I lose the drone, no warranty coverage.
I bought some accessories, as well:
I could have gone for the less expensive Mini 2, or Mini 3, but decided on the 4 for these features:
Most importantly, super powerful Activetrack options. The drone will follow-me wherever I go, avoiding obstacles so I need not manually watch it every second.
Due to obstacle avoidance, I’ve not crashed the Mini 4 even once … aside from day 1 when I tried to catch it by hand incorrectly. Oops.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I’ll shoot video in 2024 with drone, iPhone, and Ace Pro Action Camera:
Add-on
My guru is DC Rainmaker.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
NOTES:
I didn’t go for the Plus battery because the added weight takes it over the sub-250g weight
I was convinced to buy the more expensive Mini 4 by DC Rainmaker’s 2022 review.
If you are keeping track — I bought the DJI Spark at the beginning. Couldn’t get it off the ground. Traded to Kraig for a fantastic jacket.
During the pandemic, I bought 2 DJI Mini SE drones. Now discontinued. Less than CAD $1000 total for both including the Fly More kit.
Surprisingly durable. I crashed them dozens of times.
I’d researched the adventures below before taking my bike to Iceland August 2024.
Once there, I realized they were ALL too challenging. I was solo. Unprepared to fix my bike in the wilderness if I broke down.
HERE is what I ended up doing in 2024 ➙ Cycling Iceland … 🙄
One possible route is the Iceland Divide RBC.
There are variations, but one popular option is starting on the coast at Akureyri. Cycling south, then west to the outskirts of Reykjavik.
I can follow the route via GPS using Komoot. There are times in Iceland when visibility is zero.
The river crossings don’t look too bad on this route. They were riding in June.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
A tougher variation of the Iceland Divide is more north ➙ south. Also starting in Akureyri.
For example, Francesco and Giorgio’s route.
I once watched some cyclists from Alaska suffering on the famous hike Landmannalaugar ➙ Skógar.
It did not look fun. WALK, don’t ride the Laugavegur trail.
Richard Sidey did this variation.
About 777km. Solo.
Worst moment was near the end (north), getting blown completely across the highway into the path of oncoming traffic, narrowly avoiding an accident.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Wild camping is the norm in Iceland. But it’s difficult to find shelter. Cyclists stay indoors in huts every chance they get.
The only one I’m considering now is Westfjords.
Tom Hall did one of the easier routes.
Click PLAY or watch a 3 day adventure on YouTube. (late May – terrible weather)
My cycling idol, Lael Wilcox, joined Chris Burkhard for his 575-mile Westfjords Way. That would be the ultimate.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Well … it’s easier than the Faroe Islands. And far more popular.
BUT I wouldn’t recommend bikepacking the Ring Road (Route 1) around Iceland. 1,332 km (828 mi) long.
I met people who had done it. And they were not thrilled.
The shoulder is nearly non-existent — and tourist drivers are often gaping at the scenery, not watching for cyclists.
In fact, 4 guys who had spent 2 years cycling Alaska to the tip of South America found it tough.
There are buses, but many only run once a day. SOME take bikes underneath — but only if there is space.
Hvalfjörður and Vaðlaheiði tunnels do not allow cyclists. You’d need to find a ride through.
You can easily lose a day if you can’t get on that bus.
I took buses most of the way from near Egilsstaðir to Reykjavik. That was after only 2 days trying to cycle the Ring Road. For me it wasn’t worth the danger.
I had cycled a couple of days with Léonce Kircher from France on a minor highway and gravel roads. Those were great — but not easy due to wind and steepness.
We had come off the ferry together in Seyðisfjörður.
On the upside, campgrounds are frequent and inexpensive. Most with free hot showers.
There are many hostels, as well, though some are full in August.
GREAT would be to have a mountain bike and stay off the Ring Road. Of course to get to the best mountain bike trails, you would probably want a motor vehicle. 😀
BEST would be to plan well in advance. Fly up to the remote N.W. to do the Westfjords Way – 575 miles (925 KM).
Probably not solo, however.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
related – Cycling Iceland
The good news ➙ local buses can carry your bike underneath with luggage.
But — overall — visiting the islands by bicycle is challenging.
Off-road biking is prohibited. There are few cycle paths. You must share the road with distracted tourists — though most are slow moving.
You are allowed to cycle through the many tunnels — though I only did it twice. One local lady told me they are used to going slow behind bicycles.
The weather is mostly windy and rainy. Wind is a bigger problem than rain. 😀
Wild camping is forbidden in the Faroe Islands. And it’s not that easy to get anywhere that is out of sight.
Campgrounds are mostly organized for motor vehicles — but you are allowed to tent. It’s expensive.
I did a bike tune-up, replacing the chain. Iceland is coming up!
Cost was about $160.
BUT a couple of days after the maintenance, I broke a chain while out on quite a remote road. Had to hitchhike back to the bike shop.
I had the same bus driver almost every day. And every day he told me the Faroe Islands are not made for cycling. And ever day he was correct. 😀
related – cycling trip report by Tobias Woggon & Max Schumann
Booking 10 months in advance, I picked a relatively inexpensive room in a Vestmanna guesthouse. About USD $54 / night.
It turned out to be an excellent choice.
There are no hotels in Vestmanna — but many people get there to take a scenic boat trip to bird cliffs.
This guy pioneered hydroelectric power in the Faroe Islands. From Vestmanna.
It is an authentic, working fishing port.
I stayed 9 days. Hiked and cycled everywhere there was to go from my town.
There is a hostel with campground close to the airport. But I’m glad I had the more comfortable guest room in Vestmanna.
One night we had great weather. I hiked up and over the mountain to see the sunset. This was 9:41pm in August. And it was setting very slowly. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
31 hours on the boat from Hirtshals, Denmark to the Faroe Islands.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Ominous. 😀
After cycling Germany for about 3 weeks, I took the train through Denmark up to Aarhus.
Nice city.
One highlight for me was a weird installation on the harbour called The Dome.
A public space for music, art and culture. Lectures and yoga. Cup of coffee or a glass of wine in the cozy café. Or bring your own lunch.
The Dome kinda symbolizes the benefits of Northern European socialism. There’s no profit motive. Only the public good.
Next day, another short train ride — to Aalborg.
In fact, this should be my last train with the bike in 2024.
From Aalborg I cycled 4 days through the gorgeous top of Denmark’s west coast.
The highlight here is cycling the beach.
Denmark doesn’t have full right to roam, as do many Nordic nations. BUT free camping here is even better than Norway, IMHO.
Download the Shelter app.
And look for free camping with water, toilet, fire pit, and shelters.
If the shelters are already taken, you can tent.
One night I did get a shelter. Tent is for keeping out mosquitoes, spiders, and (mainly) slugs.
Løkken was a very cool stop.
There are many WWII bunkers, built during the German occupation.
Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse on huge sand dunes was a highlight.
I’m already thinking of returning to Denmark to do the entire west coast. It is awesome.
I arrived in the port city, Hirtshals, a day early — just in case.
It’s very much a place where people are just passing through.
Hirtshals 35-metre-high lighthouse is a highlight. I hung out there.
Cost was 157 EUR for me and my bike to the Faroe Islands on Smyril Line. A very reasonable price, I thought.
You could call it a long ferry (glass half empty) … OR a short cruise (glass half full). 😀
Cost includes a couchette. Bunk way below water level. First to drown, I assume. 😀
I have 11 days to explore the Faroe Islands. A roof over my head every night but one.
related article – How to cycle to Iceland, part one: pedalling through Denmark
Good advice.
I wish I’d listened to #5. 😀
I can’t fix a chain. Nor am I carrying a link.
Almost ANYONE could get into multi-day cycling. So long as you can sit on a bicycle seat a few hours a day.
Sleep in a tent. Or in a hotel each night.
Some campgrounds in Germany have E-Bike charging stations.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
IF you were to try bikepacking, I’d recommend renting the bike for your first multi-day trip.
Europe is the easiest place to give it a go.
Chiemsee is a freshwater lake in Bavaria, often called “the Bavarian Sea”.
I took my bike on the train from Munich to Prein — and cycled the 54.7-km loop of the lake using AllTrails.
This area is super popular with tourists.
I saw thousands of other cyclists.
That said — it’s not a particularly interesting route. You only see the lake infrequently.
Trip report
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
In 2023, I cycled the Danube — finishing in Lindau on Lake Constance.
I stored bike and gear with friends in Munich, returning 2024 to cycle the Rhine.
Got as far as Düsseldorf before diverting north towards Denmark.
I started in Lindau. The first of 5 drenching rainstorms over the next 2 weeks.
Mostly I followed the EuroVelo 15.
The river Rhine from source to sea is about 1368km. I probably did close to 1000km of that PLUS many side trips. No rush. About 2 weeks.
My biggest detour was over to the Black Forest for a couple of days.
Early in the trip, Rhine Falls (Rheinfalls) was a major highlight.
Germany is probably the best nation in the world right now for cycling. The Deutschland Rail ticket is still next to free in 2024, so I could hop local trains as needed.
I’d long wanted to visit Strasbourg, France. And it is great.
Of course I stop and click much old architecture. It’s evocative.
I often detoured to parks and botanical gardens.
There are a surprising number of ferries crossing the Rhine.
I was back and forth, both sides of the river.
Vineyards. Vineyards. Vineyards.
Campgrounds are plentiful and inexpensive along the river.
I only wild camped 3 times.
Many fish the Rhine. I assumed it would be fished out — until watching a father and son reel in this monster.
Another highlight was seeing castles up on high points above the river.
I can’t say much about the cuisine as I mostly ate my own food. Plenty of good bread, blue cheese, hummus.
Certainly Germany is one of the easiest places in the world for bikepacking.
The campgrounds have chargers for electric bikes !
I’m more than a little worried about Faroe Islands and Iceland …
… Coming up SOON.
Rick McCharles 