Selfoss

Selfoss is the first town after the Hellisheiði pass and the last big one before the South Coast thins out, so on an anticlockwise Ring Road it is the shop-and-fill stop of day one, and on the Golden Circle it is the lunch or the fuel on the way back. It is also the junction for route 35 north to Kerið and Gullfoss and route 34 south to Eyrarbakki and the coast road to Þorlákshöfn.

The practical line, confirmed on the operators' lists today: Bónus (bonus.is), Krónan (kronan.is) and Nettó (two stores, netto.is) all have supermarkets here, and Olís has fuel (olis.is); other fuel brands may be present but were not confirmed on a station map today. Between here and Vík the only chain stores are Krónan at Hvolsvöllur and Kjörbúðin at Hella, so this is where the big shop happens. There is a municipal pool, a campsite and toilets at the shops and the bridge.

Timing: about 50 minutes from Reykjavík over Hellisheiði in normal conditions, an hour to Hvolsvöllur, two and a half to Vík. The main road through town is the Ring Road itself and is slow on Friday evenings and in the summer afternoon return from the Golden Circle.

Winter: Hellisheiði is the pass that closes the South Coast from the capital; the Road Administration shuts it in wind and whiteout, and the Þrengsli road is the lower alternative. Check umferdin.is and the 1777 line before leaving Reykjavík in a storm. Phone signal and card payment everywhere.