This'll be my eighth trip to Iceland......Last years 2011 flight was cancelled due to the 'unexpected' Grimsvotn volcanic eruption and I didn't have the time to loose waiting for another flight so we took the GS to the Schwarzwald instead!

So should I pedal the 'Ring Road'?

Last time in 2010 I cycled well over eight hundred miles in around ten days riding in SW Iceland mostly dodging the ashclouds around Eyjafjallajokull aswell as visiting Vestmannaeyjar and the Golden Circle up to Hvalfjordur which was great.

I'd intended cycling the southern ringroad all the way round to Eskifjordur to see friends and then take the bus back but the ashstorms were too severe and dangerous from Hvolsvollur to Vik. So I changed my plans and turned round at Skogarfoss after spending a very lonely night at the ashcovered and abandoned campsite at Seljallandsfoss. With hindsight I should have maybe caught the bus from Sellfoss to Vik and continued from there.

I've motorcycled and driven around the Ringroad a few times and in both directions in both summer and winter so know my way around a bit but this time I think it would be a great sense of achievement to actually ride completely around the ringroad icluding a few side trips to see friends on the way. I'd probably ride anticlockwise and allow fourteen days for the trip in total so it's doable if i'm fit enough and i'd need to ride around at least eighty miles most days to cover the distance.

The worst things to consider when cycling in Iceland are the head and crosswinds which can be truly devastating aswell as the solitude on some sections.....Traffic isn't so much of a problem there as for the most part there isn't really any and apart from the odd flying stone and dustclouds on the gravel sections it's pretty safe.

The bike i'd be using again is my trusty Thorn Sherpa EXP which is basically a very heavy duty mountain bike with wide 2.1 inch kevlar armoured tyres and heavy duty wheels(36x48 spoke) aswell as heavy duty front and rear Thorn racks to carry the camping gear etc.

My only concern about this trip is the boredom on the long empty stretches of road.....These long sections can be very demanding both physically and mentally especially if the weathers crap. I'd intend pedalling this trip in late may which is my usual time to visit Iceland although had I been there last year the weather was exceptionally bad with a late spring especially in the north.

One thing for sure when cycling in Iceland you need to be well prepared and have the greatest respect for the weather and all I can say about my previous experiences there with or without a volcanic eruption is...

Iceland is truly character building....!

FP.