Iceland has been on my bucket list for years. And somehow, the longer I waited for my chance to take the overland adventure I’d dreamed of, the more people seemed to go. In recent years especially, it’s become the place – everyone heading off to see the waterfalls, glaciers, and volcanoes.
With good reason. Iceland is breathtaking. The scenery is nothing short of epic – easily one of the most striking places I’ve ever been. It’s also surprisingly accessible from the UK, the food scene is solid, many of the most iconic sights are within reach of Reykjavík, and you can still find peace and quiet if you venture beyond the crowds.
Thanks to its popularity, there are now hundreds (and hundreds) of Iceland-themed blogs out there. A quick search will serve up endless “things to do” “must-see views” and “roads to drive” lists. Add to that the flood of Instagram posts and YouTube videos, and you might wonder if there’s anything left to say.
Still, I want to share something about our overland adventure, just without the advice and guidance you’ll find elsewhere. I’ve got a listicle idea brewing, but I’ll only write it if I can find a fresh enough angle to make it worth your time.
Overland Adventure in Iceland
My adventure in Iceland came in August 2021 (I know…), in the form of an overland motorcycle tour with GlobeBusters. Over 12 days, we rode 1,900 miles – a good third of that on unpaved roads – taking in the big sights as well as some off-the-beaten-track gems.
When I said earlier that this trip felt like a long time coming, I meant it. We originally booked in 2018, planning to travel in 2019, but the trip was postponed twice – first due to logistical issues, and then, of course, because of COVID.
We finally made it in August 2021, just as things were beginning to open up again post-pandemic. If you’re curious about what travelling during COVID was like for us, I wrote a few words about it back in episode 83 of my Weekly Blog series (which is currently paused while I catch up on more adventure-based posts like this one).
Yes, I know I’m a bit late writing a roundup of a trip that happened 18 months ago (time flies!), but I’m still playing catch-up. I’ve now completed my Coast to Coast Adventure Journal series – and there’s more from 2021 and 2022 still to come. I’ll get there eventually.
GlobeBusters
Founded by Guinness World Record holders for global motorcycle travel, Kevin and Julia Sanders, GlobeBusters run adventure motorcycle tours and expeditions across the globe.
Joining them meant we took the easy route in some ways – freight paperwork sorted, routes mapped out, support van with tools, hotels booked by someone else – but it opened up a whole new dimension to this road trip. We made new friends, tackled miles of unpaved road (some of which definitely nudged my comfort zone), and discovered little spots we’d never have found on our own. And we loved it.
We did their Arctic Desert tour, one of GlobeBusters’ smaller trips. If you’re after something more expedition-like, their website is well worth a browse.
As this was GlobeBusters’ first trip post-COVID, we were lucky enough to travel with the dream team. Dom was our tour manager – an absolute pro when it comes to motorcycling, guiding, and just about everything else. Kevin drove the support van, and his reputation as an overlanding motorcyclist truly precedes him. Julia joined the tour too, along with newbie tour leader John (of Cool Covers fame). The four of them made a fabulous team, and we felt genuinely blessed to have such a brilliant bunch of people – now friends – looking after us.
Good for Me
I should say that having Julia there was very good for me. She’s an exceptional rider, with years of experience, yet she remains incredibly down to earth and honest. I’m used to being the lone female in motorcycling circles (we were the only women on the trip), and I’m generally fine with that. But sometimes, a friendly female face and a knowing smile are exactly what I need.
It was Julia who encouraged me when I was wavering about riding one of the high pass routes – there’d been a lot of talk about ruts, loose rocks, and steep, narrow hairpin bends. She noticed my moment of doubt and told it to me straight. I needed that. And when I overcame my wobble and made it over the mountain, she was right there celebrating with me.
That view – and that feeling – easily makes my top highlights of the whole trip. Thanks, Julia.
A Bucket List Destination
Iceland was everything I hoped it would be. And exploring it overland? That’s the only way to do it. The landscape is quite simply stunning. I can legitimately use the word epic – which I know gets thrown around a lot when describing scenery – but here, it absolutely fits.
There’s something about big, empty, gnarly landscapes that makes me fall in love. Something powerful about standing in a vast valley looking up at mountains, or atop a hill gazing back down, so immense it makes you feel small – in the best possible way. Iceland offered countless moments like that.
And what made those moments even more meaningful was knowing I’d ridden to each one on my own motorcycle, often along rough, slippery roads. This might have been a “tour” by definition, but there’s no doubt in my mind: it was a real adventure. Me. My motorcycle. Iceland’s massive expanse. Wonderful.
The trip description puts it well: “Iceland is an otherworldly place of fire and ice, marooned near the top of the globe. Here the mighty forces of nature have created a volatile playground. It is as if this place has been created especially for a unique adventure motorcycle tour”. I completely agree.
Loneliness in the Landscape
Glaciers, lava fields, volcanoes, tundra, geysers, waterfalls, fjords – at times, it felt like Iceland offered a new wonder at every turn. Which makes distilling my overlanding highlights a bit tricky. I’ll try harder to capture the best (and worst) moments in a dedicated post sometime soon, but for now, I just want to give you a flavour.
Iceland is an extraordinary backdrop for motorcycling. I’ve said it before, the beauty of riding over driving is that you’re not looking out at the scenery through a window; you’re in it. You’re part of the view. And nowhere has that felt truer than here.
Although this was a tour, there was no expectation to ride in convoy – far from it. Often, it was just my husband, our friend Paul, and me, with no one else in sight for miles. I love that feeling of loneliness in a landscape, and Iceland delivered it in bucketloads.
Yes, we visited the big sights, and they were absolutely worth it. The original Geysir. Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Icebergs drifting in the lagoon and scattered across the beach at Jökulsárlón. The meeting of tectonic plates at Þingvellir. The mighty Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. The black beach and puffins at Dyrhólaey Reserve. And no, I still can’t pronounce any of them.
But for me, even though the headline sights were undeniably impressive, the best memories came from the wide expanses where we were alone. They usually arrived on the unpaved roads – over mountains, around fjords, and across bizarre, barren lava fields. That’s where Iceland felt most alive. And where I felt most connected.
Unpaved Views
Around a third of this tour was on unpaved roads. In Iceland, that’s not unusual – many of the regularly used, well-maintained roads to large towns are still unpaved in parts. It’s simply the nature of things in this quiet, rural country.
Exploring these unpaved roads, especially the more challenging ones with loose surfaces and water crossings, was one of the main reasons we chose to travel with GlobeBusters rather than go it alone. Sure, having someone else ship my bike, book the hotels, and tell me where to buy waffles was a pretty great perk. But the reassurance of expert guides and a support van when heading into the wilderness on a motorcycle? That’s hard to beat.
We took our preparation seriously. I fitted my F650GS with more gravel-friendly tyres – the Metzeler Karoo 3 – and we spent a couple of days with Adventure Bike Training in Norfolk to build confidence on obstacles and water crossings. We’d also done the BMW Off Road Skills Level 1 course back in 2017. All of which meant that when the paved road ended, I didn’t have (quite as big of) a meltdown of confidence, and could actually relax and enjoy the ride.
My personal gravel highlights? Definitely the mountain pass from Þingeyri to Hrafnseyri (the one Julia encouraged me not to bottle), the barren stretch to Möðrudalur that felt like riding across the moon, the sweeping views from the 917 to Vopnafjörður, and of course, the legendary 100-mile F35 through Iceland’s interior.
Weird Weather
If there’s one thing that made this overland trip a true adventure, it was the weather. And what weather we had. Interesting doesn’t quite cover it.
Believe it or not, we had a couple of days of heatwave – 27 degrees and blazing sunshine. One day came close to Iceland’s temperature record, which, considering where we were, is more than a little worrying. We stood on the black sand beach at Eystri-Fellsfjara (Diamond Beach), watching icebergs melt away in front of us. Scary.
At the other end of the scale, we felt the full force of Iceland’s mood swings: gale-force winds, relentless rain, and thick fog. I was very glad for my waterproofs and warm layers, especially my boots. Sadly, the weather meant our planned ride on the F570 to and around Snæfellsjökull, the glacier-peaked volcano in the far west, had to be scrapped.
Route changes aside, I also now know that motorbikes can get blown over in 80mph-ish gusts sweeping across exposed landscapes… That one’s probably a story for another day, and might just be how I open my next Iceland adventure post.
Again, Again!
I had the best time on this overland adventure in Iceland. I can’t tell you how much my insides skip about when I think about what it was like to ride my motorbike (my own motorbike, the same one I’ve ridden in North America and Southern Europe) through this country. Oh, how much I want to go back for more.
I want more motorcycling, certainly, but it seems I’ve also become a little bit obsessed with the idea of hiking the Laugavegur and Fimmvorduhals trails. But even if that isn’t possible, I’d love to have the opportunity to explore some of Iceland’s views on foot, something which just wasn’t possible in armoured textile motorcycling clothing and adventure riding boots.
One way to make that possible would be to explore Iceland by campervan. It’s still an overland adventure – my first love when it comes to travel – but with a few added comforts (and more room for gear) that would make hiking further from the obvious spots more doable. Cozy Campers offer 4×4 rental vehicles built to handle Iceland’s rugged F-roads, which would be non-negotiable for me.
I’d love to see the country in winter, too. I imagine it transforms completely under snow and ice. Travelling by van in that season would be incredible, don’t you think? Just picture it: sleeping deep in the Icelandic wilderness, surrounded by lava rock, the sounds of puffins and horses nearby, and the northern lights dancing overhead—visible through a panoramic roof. Cozy Campers even have heated beds.
Iceland has taken a bit of my heart, and a bit like Glencoe (which remains my favourite place in the world), it’s a place I will need to visit every now and again in order to top up that sense of wildness in my soul.
Overlanding Iceland Complete
By going on an overland adventure in Iceland, I wanted to see unique and sweeping views, ride into the wilderness, and have a motorcycling experience to remember. I’m grateful it was everything I hoped for – worth the wait – and it’ll take some truly special scenery to replace those views in my memory.
I came home a better, more confident rider, no doubt about that. I’d done the training (and a fair bit of anxious worrying), and got to put it all into practice against the most spectacular backdrop. I’m not about to become a Dakar rider or anything, but I’m happy to call myself an adventure motorcyclist – for a few days each year, anyway.
Motorcycling, for me, is always about getting out into the big wide world, and that’s exactly what this Icelandic adventure delivered.
As for GlobeBusters, we must have thought they were alright… because we’re heading to Morocco with them later this year. We’re not about to start booking a tour company – adventure-focused or otherwise – for every trip (we really love doing our own thing), but sometimes it’s nice to let someone else handle the logistics so we can focus on the ride, the views, and the headspace to soak it all in.
I hope to share another Iceland post soon, featuring some of my best (and worst…) memories from this two-week overland adventure. If you have any questions about motorcycling in Iceland, feel free to ask, I’m happy to share something specific from my experience if it helps.
