Well, today is when my cycling goes to pot! My research had located the bus stop right at the entrance to the campsite, and if my bike would fit in, it would whisk me the 165km to Myvatn in two hours, rather two days on the Ring road. Which was very appealing! I got up at six (it still seemed way too light), and made use of the facilities while it was quiet. I had my normal breakfast, coffee and porridge, with honey and banana chips. I make coffee using an aeropress, really good coffee, but I’m running low on filter papers – which is crazy as they don’t weigh anything.  I think I was trying to be too ultra light! Despite getting up early, I only just made the bus at 9:09. This was mainly because I started chatted to the Belgian guy, and gave him my A3 colour copies of the cycling map – as I had the real thing!

The bike fitted under the bus beautifully. I just took off the panniers and handlebar bag, and it just slotted in under the floor.

The bus passed the Belgian cyclist a few minutes after we left. Looking out the window I was pretty pleased to have chosen the bus. We passed a couple more cyclists slogging up a big hill, and I’m pretty sure it was generally a strong headwind. It was really remote, I’d marked one campsite, and one hotel, which pretty much all that exists on that 165 km stretch.

Initially the scenery was green meadows, but as we climbed it became more barren with the only occupants being sheep or goose type birds with chicks. The bus also passed an area with lots of steam coming from the ground, which was clearly a big tourist attraction. It was close to my destination, just before going up and over a mountain pass, but close enough to cycle back to.

At Reykjahlid, it seemed everyone (all 8 of us) got off the bus. There was a shop and petrol station and the choice of two campsite – I’d been advised to take the higher, as Myvatn (the name of the lake) actually means the tiny flies that live around the lake. I’d been told the flies were worse nearer the lake. I chose the higher campsite, which was still bad. The flies are more annoying than anything, as luckily they don’t bite. I pitched my tent before 12, which must be a record. I then ate the last of my bread and cheese, and took a nap!

I cycled back to see the thermal area I had seen from the bus, and to go to Myvatn hot springs which was on my itinary. It was good riding the unloaded bike, and the wind was behind me (confirming my fears of a headwind if I’d cycled).  I climbed up over the mountain to Namaskard, a thermal area where the boiling mud and steam are at the surface. It is a really striking place, the colours where the minerals have come out of the ground, the various noises of the mud gurgling and all in a lunar landscape. I got too close to one stack and it steamed all my glasses up.

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I cycled back over the mountain, the sign said it was 1 in 10 from this side, but still very long – I had to stop once. Over the other side, it was down hill but into the headwind and being blown around, so had to keep to a slow speed incase it all went wrong.

I turned off into the Myvatn Natural Pool, not so natural as it turns out, but very, very nice. Obviously it was quite expensive, £30 (with a discount because the wind had cooled the pools by 2°) but really nice with two big pools. The cooler one (but still hot) was empty enough to swim in. They have rocks all around and a gravel bottom. There was a small pool with water at 41°. All very refreshing, and even better when I polished it off with a beer (you could drink in the pool, and the lifeguards would bring the beers), but I opted for dry land.

There was one fenced off bit which was a massive cauldron of boiling water – a scary proposition, with it boiling in front of me. The geothermal energy comes from a “power station” and arrived at the pools at 130°C.

I stopped at the shop on the way back and cooked under bombardment of the Myvatn flies. I found relief from the flies in the campsite reception where I’m writing the blog now – good WiFi is the secret to uploading photos, mobile data is just not up to the task.