Why this ride
1764 km from Reykjavík to Reykjavík, about 26 h 03 of riding. On the way it passes Egilsstaðir and Akureyri. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ring Road (Route 1)
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 1764 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 26 h 03
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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.
Road summary
Around Iceland. Weather changes hourly and the wind is the real hazard.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Near Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the only real city in Iceland, and for most riders it is where the Ring Road begins and ends. The capital spreads around a bay on the southwest coast, with colourful corrugated-iron houses, the tall concrete church of Hallgrímskirkja on its hill and the glass honeycomb of the Harpa concert hall by the harbour. Across the water rises the flat-topped mountain of Esja, often streaked with snow, and on a clear day the glacier of Snæfellsjökull can be seen far across the bay to the north.
Read the complete Near Reykjavík write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Waypoint 1 is where the day begins. Next is Waypoint 2.
2. Waypoint 2
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.
Read the complete Waypoint 2 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Waypoint 2 comes up 268 km in. Next is Waypoint 3.
3. Egilsstaðir
Egilsstaðir is the main town of east Iceland, set at the head of Lagarfljót, a long, dark glacial lake, with the Fljótsdalshérað plain spreading around it. For anyone riding the Ring Road around the island, it comes as a pleasant change after the empty highlands of the northeast, because suddenly there are trees. Iceland's largest forest, Hallormsstaðaskógur, grows along the lake's eastern shore, and the town has shops, a swimming pool and a handful of cafes.
Read the complete Egilsstaðir write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
535 km in you reach Waypoint 3. Next is Waypoint 4.
4. Akureyri
Akureyri calls itself the capital of the north, and with a bit under eighteen thousand people it is the second city of Iceland by some margin. It lies at the head of Eyjafjörður, the longest fjord in the country, with steep snow-streaked mountains rising straight from the water on both sides. The air is sharper than in Reykjavik and the winters are colder and drier, and in summer the town has a gentler, greener feel than most of the island. The church, a tall concrete building designed by the architect Guðjón Samúelsson and completed in 1940, stands above the town at the top of a flight of steps, and its stained glass includes a window rescued from a church in Coventry after the war.
Read the complete Akureyri write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Waypoint 4, about halfway. Next is back through Waypoint 3.
5. back through Waypoint 3
Egilsstaðir is the main town of east Iceland, set at the head of Lagarfljót, a long, dark glacial lake, with the Fljótsdalshérað plain spreading around it. For anyone riding the Ring Road around the island, it comes as a pleasant change after the empty highlands of the northeast, because suddenly there are trees. Iceland's largest forest, Hallormsstaðaskógur, grows along the lake's eastern shore, and the town has shops, a swimming pool and a handful of cafes.
Read the complete Egilsstaðir write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Waypoint 3 sits at 1071 km, about halfway. Next is back through Waypoint 2.
6. back through Waypoint 2
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Waypoint 2 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Waypoint 2 comes up 1338 km in. Next is Waypoint 1.
7. Near Reykjavík
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Near Reykjavík write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Waypoint 1 closes the day.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Ring Road (Route 1) · part 1 · 882 km
- Iceland Ring Road · 1274 km