Iceland

Cycling the windswept volcanic outpost of Iceland is unlike anything else.

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Don't expect European-style bike infrastructure, Alpine-style climbs, convenient cafés, shelter or reliable weather. Do expect long, empty stretches, austere sustenance at lonely petrol stations, capricious headwinds, rain - and fantastical, unique scenery that will make it all worthwhile: think fjords, lava-scaped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs to dip in.

And you'll have it mostly to yourself, whether it's cosy green farmland or desolate, exoplanetary grey wastes. Nature is firmly in control, but where there are people, this is a 21st-century country, developed, connected, safe, friendly - and pricey.

Iceland is now firmly on the biking radar. Reykjavík's airport even has a special area for arrivals with bikes to reassemble. Adventurous bikepackers strike out directly across the island's uninhabited, lunar interior, on a sparse network of gravel roads: you have to be confident wading rivers, being self-sufficient and wild-camping for days. For road bikes, there's essentially one option: Route 1, the tarmac coastal main road that encircles the island in 1,400km, and its side-trips. It's narrow and sometimes busy with traffic (including cycle-tourists).