Stage 7: Dalvík – Sauðárkrókur

The air humidity has increased what has it advantages. Though the sky is not clear blue anymore - in fact the sun has a hard time coming through - it feels a lot warmer.
The first part of today’s stage leads northwards along the fjord. The ridge on which the road has been built is very narrow and at several point the road winds along vertical cliffs on both sides. The further the road gets to the north the more cliffs there are to climb until the final climb to the entrance of the tunnel through the most northern point of the mountain ridge. The old road passing all along the cliffs is still there, or at least partially, because just before the tunnel it goes up to the left and a road sign says there is a viewpoint after 2.5 kms.
I prefer to stay on the tarmac what means I have to cross the 3.4 km long Múlagöng tunnel; a one-lane tunnel with widenings every 200 metres. The lighting is just enough to see the road and not drop of your bike, but fortunately when going from East to West like I do the road slightly descends so that pedalling is not needed. The further I get into the tunnel the colder it becomes and at some point I see ice on the ceiling of the tunnel. I check my thermometer on my bike-computer and see that it is only 1 degree above freezing in the middle of the tunnel. During the whole passage I meet only two cars but that is enough to cause a deafening roaring sound in the tunnel. I’m glad I reach the other side in one piece and the outside temperature feels almost Mediterranean to me.

Olafsfjörður

Directly after the tunnel the road passes through Olafsfjörður, a town the size of Dalvík with a beautiful setting in the middle of a small fjord. It is about two kilometres later that the tarmac stops and the gravel begins. In spite of the deserted character of this road the gravel is really good. The road climbs gently up the valley though steep enough to make me take of my fleece jacket for the first time since I’m in Iceland, not in the least caused by the temperature that is now 16 degrees because of the sun that managed to get through the clouds for the last half an hour or so. After passing the farm called Bakki the real climb start; short stretches of 12-16% with 5-6% parts in between. Every steep stretch is a challenge and I need to go from left to right over the road occasionally in order to get up the next stretch hoping that no car will come ahead since it is impossible to see it coming over the top.
The upper part of the climb is more regular and gentle and so I can enjoy the landscape. The area up here is still for at least half covered with snow where small streams pass in between to the main river. The summit is where the orange emergency shelter is. I place my bike against a pole, take some photos and have a walk around without seeing any other living thing up here. Finally, two terrain cars pass and they are the first cars I see since I passed Olafsfjörður about 20 kms back.
The descent is not so irregular: during 3 kms it goes straight down at 10-12% and I’m glad I changed brake pads at home. Suddenly, the road is at the bottom of the valley and therefore flat again. Well, not really because after passing the small Stifluvatn lake there is a nasty little climb to get passed the dam. Over the top the road goes down in one long rolling descent all the way to the intersection with road 76.
At the intersection there is a large gas station with a shop and small cafeteria. The place is deserted apart from the two ladies behind the counter and I decide to go in for a cup of coffee.

The road up to Lágheiði

From here on the road is only tarmac. It follows the coast all the way to Hofsós without any climbs apart from some minor but steep little hills. The only remarkable thing is the wind. Until now the wind had come from the East but it suddenly drops and for half an hour or so there is no wind at all. Then it starts blowing again, but from the southwest just at the part that I’m going south. The sky slowly becomes overcast and it looks like I won’t be able to reach a camping site before the rain starts.
The idea was to stay at Hofsós but I find out that the camping site is not much more than a small piece of grass aside from the community building with 1 toilet and 1 tap. There is nobody there and the location is not really cosy looking. I linger for a while since the next camping site is another 36 kms away and I already did 92 kms until now. Finally I make my decision to go on, hoping my legs will agree with that.
The next 15 kilometres or so are nice when suddenly within less than a minute the wind turns to the southeast and increases to wind force 7. This is pretty bad because I now have to struggle with the wind for the next 8 kilometres before I turn to the West again.
This last part of 15 kilometres the road passes the Heraðs river estuary. With the current wind in my back I easily reach 35 kph if there wouldn’t be that steep little island to climb in the middle of the estuary. On the other side the road goes dead straight into the town of Sauðárkrókur. Just like I thought I wouldn’t make it before the rain comes but I hadn’t anticipated it would such a close call; the last two kilometres it starts dripping.
The camping site is again a small piece of pasture next to the swimming pool. At least there is hot water here and showers can be found in the swimming pool. Moreover, the camping site is for free.
Not long after I pitched my tent I get company from a Frenchman with a car. He’s actually looking for the reception so I have to explain him there is no such thing. After a good swim we decide to have something to eat in town because it is still raining and we don’t feel like cooking today.

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