A typical query for guests to Iceland is whether or not it’s finest to drive Iceland’s Route 1 ring highway in a clockwise or anti-clockwise course. Whislt we didn’t truly drive your entire ring on our journey (we in all probability lined round one third of it), I did plan to at first so spent fairly a little bit of time researching this subject. I hope my findings will aid you make an knowledgeable resolution as to what route is finest for you.
First issues first
Earlier than tackling the query of whether or not to drive the ring highway in a clockwise or anti-clockwise course, I’d first pose the query as as to if you do certainly wish to cowl your entire route. It’s 1,317 kilometres and, if you’re restricted to solely per week or so, I’d severely take a step again and take a look at the important thing belongings you wish to cowl. See my earlier put up which explains why we selected to not drive your entire ring highway with the time we had obtainable.
A lot of Iceland’s fundamental points of interest are within the south and west of the nation and, because you’ll little question be arriving at Keflavik Airport, near the capital of Reykjavik, within the south-west of the nation, a lot of need you to see will likely be inside just a few hours’s drive of there. I perceive that you just may wish to see as a lot as potential however, in case your time is valuable and restricted, does it actually make sense to be spending a lot of that point in a automobile?
OK, so that you’ve thought-about the above however nonetheless wish to drive the ring highway, however are usually not positive which method round to go? Learn on!
Clockwise versus anti-clockwise
Whenever you learn up on this topic, the consensus of opinion is to observe the route in an anti-clockwise course and there are a selection of causes for this. The primary of those is that the Golden Circle is a logical place to begin, notably for those who’re visiting for the primary time. It’s the place you’ll discover a few of Iceland’s most iconic points of interest equivalent to the Geysir and Strokkur geysers.
There’s a complete host of issues to see and do within the Golden Circle however, no matter route you are taking, assuming you don’t wish to come again on your self, you’ll discover quite a few routes are inclined to ‘spit you out’ in direction of the south. It’s because the tendency is to enter the Golden Circle through Route 35 from Reykjavik which takes you simply north of the Þingvallavatn rift valley lake and to get again through a round route tends to imply heading south to get round this lake.
Since you end up in direction of the south, the logical factor to do is to then discover the south coast alongside Route 1, thus initiating an anti-clockwise route alongside the principle ring highway. It’s in all probability additionally no co-incidence that excursions that go all the best way round Iceland additionally have a tendency to decide on to go in an anti-clockwise course.
The opposite sturdy reasoning in favour of adopting an anti-clockwise course is that you just’ll go to the busier points of interest first (alongside the south coast) and thus regularly transfer from away from the crowds to a number of the extra distant and fewer visited elements of Icelandic, whcih feels a extra instictively logical approach to method issues.
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Two causes to contemplate a clockwise route
I can foresee simply two distinctive explanation why you may select to interrupt the mould and journey the ringroad in a clockwise course – the climate and the time of 12 months.
If the climate forecast simply occurs to be predicting poor climate within the south initially and good climate within the north, then I suppose it would make extra sense to let the situations dictate your route and do your finest to keep away from opposed climate situations. It’s maybe unlikely that there will likely be a marked distinction like this, however you by no means know so it’s price checking the forecast.
Secondly, the time of 12 months. I’ve already talked about how the south may be busy and that by travelling in an anti-clockwise course, you’ll be regularly shifting away from the crowds, notably when you begin to get past locations equivalent to Höfn. That stated, for those who occur to be travelling on the finish of August / starting of September (the top of the Summer time holidays for a lot of households all over the world), then you definitely may keep away from the crowds within the south by leaving it till the top of your journey. If that is while you’re visiting, this could be one thing that you just wish to take into account as it might have you ever favouring a clockwise journey.
For most individuals, although, an anti-clockwise route appears to be by far the extra most popular of the 2 choices.
Have you ever travelled your entire Route 1 ring highway? If that’s the case, did you go clockwise or anticlockwise, and what was the rationale behind the route you selected?
Planning a visit to Iceland your self? You may watch a video from our journey to Iceland right here:
Disclosure: This put up is sponsored by Icerental 4×4. Our journey to Iceland was additionally sponsored by Helly Hansen.
