Ring Road

A popular way of seeing Iceland is to drive Route 1 that goes around the country. It takes at least a week and passes many of the country’s attractions.

The drive itself is an attraction–it passes through many spectacular and beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, there is often nowhere on the side of the road to park, so many tempting photo opportunities cannot be taken. Some people travel around the ring road on a bicycle.

Here are some photos from places where I could safely stop.

The ring road is mostly a single lane in both directions, with very little traffic.

Some stretches are flat, but there are parts that go up and down hills and mountains.

Ancient fields of moss stretch for kilometers of the drive.

Sometimes the road has a rougher surface.

The south-east part of the drive is through the fjords, with spectacular mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.

It is beautiful and long drive, since you are going in and out of each fjords. There are no shortcuts through bridges or tunnels.

There is a section with a long climb up an unsealed section of the ring road.

But it was worth it for the spectacular views.

A detour off the ring road is to drive down to Seydisfjordur. A spectular windy road leads to the harbour city. The long skateboard scene in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was filmed here.

There are many waterfalls to be seen. Some right next to the road.

This unsealed section was on a side trip Borgarfjarðurhofnvegur.

The north-eastern part of the ring road passes through a stretch of very barren country.

But most of the country is green and unspoiled.