Why this ride
From Höfn it runs 361 km to the finish; allow about 5 h 24 of riding. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Iceland Ring Road: Hofn to Myvatn
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 361 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 24
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Höfn
Höfn is a fishing town that has spent decades staring at a glacier, and the glacier has finally started to answer back. It sits at the mouth of the Hornafjörður on Iceland's southeast coast, a small town of fewer than two thousand people on a low peninsula, with the vast white dome of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest ice cap by volume, filling the northern horizon. On a clear day, the tongues of ice that spill down the mountains look close enough to walk to, and at sunset they glow pink and gold. The name simply means harbour.
Read the complete Hofn write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Höfn is where the day begins. Next is Egilsstadir.
2. Egilsstaðir
Egilsstaðir is the capital of east Iceland in the way a village can be a capital: it has a population of about two thousand, an airport, a supermarket, a swimming pool and a good reputation. It sits on the flat shore of Lagarfljót, a long glacial lake that stretches south-west for about twenty-five kilometres and is said to be home to a monster. The Lagarfljót worm has been reported since the Middle Ages, and a few years back a farmer even filmed something floating in the water, which the locals prefer to leave unexplained. The lake is murky grey-green with glacier silt, so a monster would have no trouble hiding.
Read the complete Egilsstadir write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Egilsstaðir comes up about 186 km into the recorded legs. Next is Myvatn.
3. Mývatn
Mývatn means midge lake, and the name is honest, because in early summer clouds of small, harmless flies hang above the water and rise from the shore in a shimmering haze. They are the foundation of an ecosystem that feeds one of the richest populations of breeding ducks in Europe, and in June the lake is crowded with them. Bring a face cover in still weather, and keep your visor closed.
Read the complete Myvatn write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 361 km.
Leg by leg
Höfn to Egilsstadir
Höfn → Egilsstadir is 186 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Egilsstaðir to Myvatn
Egilsstaðir → Myvatn is 175 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.