The south coast of Iceland has a way of making even the Ring Road feel like an expedition. Around this point you are close to Vík and the great black plain of Mýrdalssandur, a flat, dark expanse of volcanic sand laid down by glacial floods from beneath the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap. Under that ice sits Katla, one of the country's most closely watched volcanoes, and the floodwaters it can unleash are the reason the sandur looks the way it does. The road runs across it in long straight lines, with very little to break the horizon.
Riding here is a lesson in wind. The open plain has no shelter, and gusts from the Atlantic can come across at an angle that makes the bike lean without any help from you. Signs warn of crosswinds, and they mean it. Sand can blow over the tarmac in dry spells, and the coast road after rain is often slippery with fine grit. Keep a firm grip, relax your shoulders and be ready for a sudden shove when a lorry passes the other way.
The scenery rewards the effort. Vík itself is a small village with a red-roofed church on a hill above the sea, and below it lies the black beach with its basalt columns and the sea stacks of Reynisdrangar standing offshore. Legend says they were trolls turned to stone by the dawn. The waves here are powerful and unpredictable, and visitors are warned regularly to stay well back from the water. Inland, the slopes are bright with moss in summer and the glacier glints white above.
Fuel is the thing to plan. Vík has a station and a few cafes and a woollen mill shop, but the stretches on either side are long, with Kirkjubæjarklaustur to the east and Skógar and Hvolsvöllur to the west, so top up in Vík before heading on. In winter the road can close or become very difficult in wind and ice, so check the road conditions before you leave.
The best riding time is June through August, with light until late at night, though even then wet and cold days are not unusual. Pack real waterproofs and a spare layer, and take the gusts seriously.