Over my trip to Iceland I kept some notes about my experiences.

One thing I learned is to ignore the Ring Road. In many guides it’s suggested that you complete the loop although don’t treat it as a target to get around. Use parts of it to get to places you want to visit. If you’re riding the Ring Road then you’re focusing on getting it done rather than exploring and getting deeper into areas. Especially being flexible due to weather is important. The smaller roads are quieter and nicer, especially quieter in the far north.

Leaving Iceland meant the trip back home began, taking a week on the ferry then accross Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Back on board the Smyril Line ship Nörenna, which was now quite familiar, I settled back into my cabin and hung my bike kit up to dry. The first night at sea was pretty windy and lumpy so the ship was pretty quiet. As I’m used to sailing (and live on a sailing boat too) it doesn’t really bother me so I enjoyed the quiet time and had a nice dinner in the buffet.

The final ride on day 7 back to the ferry port was short but you can never underestimate Iceland.

Waking early in the campsite the weather was still and dry. Although it was forecast to rain in the morning I did think I might stay in my tent for the morning and leave in the afternoon, although I was keen to get moving in case the weather deteriorated. After having some breakfast and getting packed up I headed off back down the winding gravel road away from the campsite back to the main road.

Day 1 I disembarked the ferry from Denmark and started to explore Iceland!

After a good sleep in my cabin I woke up at 06:00, 30 minutes before my alarm, so had a shower and went for some breakfast in the canteen. When loading onto the ferry I was chatting with a couple from County Durham and I saw them again at breakfast. They were in Iceland for two weeks compared to my one week… “the benefits of being retired” they said with a smile.

The Smyril Line ferry takes 2 days from Hirtshals in Denmark to Seyðisfjörður in Iceland.

The first night on the ferry I slept really well last with the gentle sway of the ship reminding you you’re at sea. I woke up around 6am CET although stayed in my cabin for a little while as ship’s time is one hour behind, at Faroes time / WEST. For breakfast I went to the cafeteria although there is also a buffet restaurant which, while more expensive, has much more choice.

In September 2025 I rode my bike from London, UK to Iceland.

Leaving London on the afternoon of the 29th Auguest I made my way up to Harwich for the overnight Stena Line ferry, the first of 6 ferries this trip. My target was to ride from Hook of Holland up to Hirtshals in the north of Denmark for the Smyril Line ferry over to Iceland.

This was a trip I’ve been planning for so long and it was surreal to be actually on the way. I still had a lot of miles to go to get to Iceland although it’s amazing just to be free to ride my bike every day. The ferry to Iceland I booked over a year ago and since then I’ve been planning and dreaming.

In May 2025 I rode from London to County Kerry in Ireland to ride the Ring of Kerry and the Skellig Ring.

My route took me from London up to Holyhead in Wales to catch the Stena Line ferry to Dublin. leaving really early on the Monday morning I was hoping to miss a lot of the rush hour traffic and also not have to rush too much, giving me enough time to stop on the way for breaks and food. I was booked on the 15:50 ferry, arriving in Dublin at 19:20 and I had a hotel booked that night in Dublin on 20 minutes from the port.