Iceland Ring Road: Cycling the Nightless Summer

Overview

Cycle Iceland's Ring Road through Iceland's nightless summer — 1,332 km around the entire island on Route 1, past the iceberg lagoon at Jökulsárlón, the falls of Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss, Mývatn's geothermal fields and the switchbacking Eastfjords, in June-July daylight that never ends. Riding at 11pm in low golden light with the road to yourself is the memory that lasts. Ten to fourteen days is a sane schedule at 100-130 km a day; the Eastfjords are the most dramatic riding and the northern sections the loneliest. Wind is the variable that breaks trips: katabatic gusts can stop a loaded bike dead or shove it across the lane, and sandstorms south of Vatnajökull have stripped paint from cars. Check the forecast religiously and be willing to sit out a day. The interior F-roads are 4WD territory — stay on the loop unless you are on a fat-tyred rig. Cyclists are banned from the Hvalfjörður tunnel and detour around the old fjord road instead, and lights are essential for the unlit tunnels in the east. Campsites appear every 40-60 km; around £1,400 covers a fortnight of camping with hostel nights when storms roll in, but food is dear, so carry more than feels reasonable — and pack an eye mask, because the tent glows at 2am.

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Prefilled for 1 June 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.