It’s always great to be riding a bike but it was sad to be finishing this trip and riding home.

Waking up in the hotel I got packed up and headed down for breakfast. We were booked onto the 10:15 Stena Line ferry which was really busy with quite a few coach trips but it’s always exciting to be taking a ferry somewhere, even if it was headed home.

The plan for the day was to take the ferry over to Holyhead and then ride back via the M40. I wasn’t really looking forward to the traffic, especially as the ferry was landing at 13:45 and we’d be hitting rush hour during the ride home. But it was just the last push home and a very small price to pay for an amazing week away with great memories.

With our adventure almost at an end we headed for Dublin for one last night.

With one of our group already en route back to London we awoke to a stunning sunrise over our campsite in Connemara. Although we’d only had one night in this campsite it was great to get there because it’s in such a beautiful location and was quite busy but not too busy.

The site is settled in the machair dunes and is a carbon-neutral site with a private beach on which you can have fires in firepits, a sauna, and beautiful views.

What a difference good weather makes as we rode the stunning route from Galway into Connemara along the coast.

Waking in the cottage we got ourselves packed up and had breakfast. The girls had got me a gift for organising the trip which I was really touched by. It had been so lovely riding with them so it was sad that it already has started to feel like we were nearing the end of our adventure. Usually by the 5th/6th day of riding every day my body starts getting used to being on the bike consistently and all the aches and niggles from consecutive days on the road start to fade and I get into the flow of a trip. I’d also really miss riding with the girls as they’re exceptional company and lovely people. This was to be the last full day together because one of our number would be leaving the next morning around 4am to ride to Dublin, get the ferry to Holyhead, and then ride back to London in a one-er! But we still had today together, the weather was amazing, and we had some fantastic roads in front of us.

Waking up in our glamping pods the weather was bright and sunny, but the wind was to make an unwelcome return.

The plan for today was to ride up to the western tip of Connemara and stay in a coastal campsite. After a leisurely breakfast of scrambled eggs we then saw to the bikes; fixing a puncture in one and then adjusting the chain slack on two others. After settling up for our night’s stay we headed off north, with the plan to reach the coast in Connemara after riding along some coastal roads in the shadow of the Iorras Beag / Errisbeg mountain.

None of us got much sleep in the battering wind and come 6am it was getting worse so we had a decision to make, and pretty quickly.

It had been a noisy and blustery night with heavy rain and high winds and a 6am check of the weather forecast showed that the highest winds hadn’t even hit us yet. So I quickly got packed up and loaded my bike before saying to the girls that I’m going to help them pack up although we needed to do that now. Because the winds were so high we carried stuff into the toilet and shower block for shelter from the elements and packed up in there, clearing the camping field quickly. Although not before two of the group’s tents had been damaged by the wind; suffering snapped poles!

Today we were riding the Ring of Kerry, up to the Dingle peninsula.

We woke after a pretty good night’s sleep and had breakfast in the camp kitchen before packing up and heading off to the Ring of Kerry. As the campsite was actually on the north of the Healy Pass (which we had to reroute past yesterday) we could pick up a little bit of the narrower part of the Healy Pass [1] heading towards Kenmare [2], before we made for Moll’s Gap [3] and then joining the Ring of Kerry at Sneem [4], the “knot in the Ring of Kerry”. Moll’s Gap takes you a little further north than the Ring of Kerry but takes you through a spectacular mountain pass before joining back onto the Ring again. I’d ridden some of these roads before and couldn’t wait for this section.

Our first proper day in Ireland was to be mostly travelling down to Kerry, through sunshine and rain.

We got packed up in County Wexford and headed off down to County Kerry, via Cork. Initially the plan was to ride along the coast via Skibbereen although the weather was windy and heavy showers were hitting us from time to time so it ended up being a lot slower progress than we expected. In fact at one point we needed to quickly take shelter in a filling station to avoid huge hailstones! So we headed for Bantry where we’d pick up the coastal route around the Ring of Beara and up over the Healy Pass. I’d ridden the Healy Pass before and it’s absolutely incredible so I was very excited to get to that section of the ride. Our campsite was just over the other side of the pass so it’d be only 30 minutes or so over the top when we got there.

In June 2026 4 of us took our bikes to Ireland to ride the southerly part of the Wild Atlantic Way

After planning this trip for a long while it was finally the day! Our ferry was booked from Fishguard to Rosslare for 14:00, arriving in Rosslare at 17:30. One of our group was riding a 125 so headed off the day before, spending Sunday evening nearby, but the rest of us headed off early doors. Meeting around 04:30 and getting on the road by 05:00, we headed off along the M4, bound for south Wales for the ferry. We had plenty of time to stop and check our luggage on the way which turned out to be a good plan as the weather closed in on us and started dumping cold rain as we drove through Bristol and into Wales.

Over my trip to Iceland I learned some lessons.

1) Solo Doesn’t Mean Alone — Even as a solo traveller I exchanged stories with other bikers, swapped supplies with fellow campers, and found camaraderie with ferry companions.

2) Tools Can Fail You at the Worst Moment — The Garmin wouldn’t route, drone was grounded by the wind, there was often no mobile signal. But had an InReach Mini 2.

3) Growth Comes From the Edges of Comfort — During the ride I faced harsh winds, cold, long days, unexpected detours, yet came home more skilled and confident — and already planning the next trip.

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

One thing I learned is to not necessarily focus on the Ring Road, (Route 1). Many guides talk about completing 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 Route 1 as a goal then you could be focusing more 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 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.

After my day in Reykjavik the weather looked pretty bad so I had a decision to make.

After the day riding into the high winds I was paying much closer attention to the weather forecasts and before I left Reykjavik I was keeping an eye on the Icelandic Met Office, especially on the wind forecast.

The original plan today was to ride via the Golden Circle and some of the E roads down to around Vík, a small village on the coast of south Iceland, just to the south of Mýrdalsjökull glacier which covers the Katla volcano. This is also the location of Eyjafjallajökull, the stratovolcano famous for its massive 2010 eruption which grounded aircraft all over the world due to the dust clouds it released. Today the weather forecast looked relatively calm and the winds were in the direction I was going to be riding.

What a difference a day makes! Day 5 in Iceland was warm, sunny, and calm!

Waking early in my hotel room I had a shower and went down for breakfast. I’d been burning through calories in the last few days and was really hungry. The buffet was lovely with plenty of options including cooked items and of course plenty of skyr which I love and eat for breakfast at home too.

On day 4 in Iceland I experienced the strongest winds I’ve ever had to ride in!

The day started quite calmly as I packed up and left Hellissandur Camping after a very comfortable night camping in the lava field which was really nice and sheltered. There was a little bit of wind when I was setting off but nothing extreme…for now. The plan for today was to end up in Reykjavik where I had a hotel booked for two nights and on the way visit the location of The Horns motorcycle gang from the Icelandic TV series Ófærð (Trapped). This is along Hvalfjörður fjord to the north of Reykjavik. The planned distance today was a little under 300km.

On day 3 in Iceland my route took me along the gravel roads of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Getting packed up in Hvamstangi I headed west, skimming the bottom of the Westfjords. The route took me along the gravel roads of route 54 and I was really looking forward to some unpaved road. As I was about to turn off I saw a little collection of buildings and some whales in the fjord so I dropped down to the little beach to see them [1]. For a while I watched a couple of whales breaching and blowing in the fjord. As I was leaving I saw a load of bikers on enduro bikes and saw the Ride With Locals truck arrive which was cool to see!

Day 2 in Iceland I explored the north, on a route via Siglufjörður on the northern Icelandic coast.

In my first campsite of the trip I slept pretty well with a few rain showers through the night. It was a bit cold, but nothing too bad with my down jacket on a hood up. Although I realised fairly quickly that I could have brought a heavier sleeping bag. I’d brought one that goes to -1 although I suspect it’s more comfortable at around 10 degrees. Even at the beginning of September it felt cold in Iceland. In fact it was around 15 during the day and 5 at night but the cold there is fresher, it gets into your bones more.

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 just 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.