The Iceland Ring Road mistakes (and myths) to know before you go

Iceland's Ring Road is hard to get badly wrong, but there are a few mistakes that quietly cost you the best of it, and I made some of them. Here is what I would tell anyone before they go.

The big one is time. We tried to do the full loop in too few days, and the whole drive felt rushed. The south coast in particular, the waterfalls, the black beaches, the glacier lagoon, is genuinely world-class, and you want to linger over it, not photograph it from a moving car. Give the Ring Road at least seven days. Fewer than that, and you spend the trip watching extraordinary things slide past the window.

Just as important is the order. The most beautiful sights sit in the south, the Golden Circle and the bottom of the island, so do those first, while you are fresh and still have time in hand. Save them for the end and you risk arriving at the best of Iceland tired, rushed, or simply out of days.

A few honest opinions that cut against the usual advice. You do not need a 4x4. We did the entire loop in a normal car without any trouble; you only need four-wheel drive if you plan to leave Route 1 for the rough interior roads. And if you are short on time, the eastern fjords and the Snaefellsnes peninsula in the west are the first things I would cut. After the south, both underwhelmed us, and I would happily trade that driving for one more slow day on the south coast.

One last thing: book your accommodation ahead in summer. We did not, and ended up pitching a tent by the road. It worked out, but only because we were carrying one. Have a plan B, or better still, book early and never need it.