A Patagonian love affair

Soaking up the world’s premier adventure playground

Hello friends, family and those we've met on the road! Welcome to the twenty-second edition of our newsletter, this time penned from Puerto Rio Tranquilo, Chile on a sunny Valentine’s Day.

Recently, when I wake up in the tent, I grab my phone in an attempt to force wakefulness and, more often than not, I’m confronted by a map of Tierra del Fuego. With minimal internet access, I often end up gazing at our planned route before bed, and although we still have another month and a half or so to go, I can’t help but zoom out and pan down to our eventual end point. Now that Christmas is behind us, our thoughts seem to settle on the finish line more than ever before.

It’s fun to fantasise about how close we are, but we’re also putting work into keeping each other present during this final leg. We are pedalling through some of the world’s most famous bicycling routes, and we don’t want to let Patagonia pass us by.

Saying that, we’ve had our biggest ever month on the road since our last newsletter, meaning we’ll have to gloss over some periods of riding. Mendoza to Barrancas was hot, flat and, aside from a few pleasant evenings spent camped with Simon, Lizzie and Matt (under a bridge during a storm was a corker), largely forgettable. We’ll not dwell on it other than to say we’re glad we got it done in less time than we’d scheduled.

Passing into the Argentine province of Neuquén brought us officially into the confines of Patagonia, and immediately the roadsides became more green, water became more abundant, and the opening hours of establishments became even less reliable than we had become used to. After a lovely little detour via Tromen volcano, we decided to head into Chile’s monkey puzzle region.

Yes, those trees that are in your neighbour’s back garden are native to Patagonia, and central Chile is a haven of gigantic árboles, volcanic vistas and sparkling clear rivers that are ideal for a dip. We relished tree-lined trails in ancient woods, before again bumping into Simon and Lizzie and enjoying mushroom ice creams and sopapillas (a sort of semi-savoury donut) in their company. With the help of some teenagers who gave us a lift halfway up the trail, we also took some time to circumnavigate the Sollipulli volcano via a gorgeous, but at times terrifyingly steep, dirt road path. Countless river crossings later we emerged, invigorated by the foxgloves and fresh mountain air, before descending towards picturesque lakes overflowing with Chilean tourists enjoying their summer breaks.

Next, a short, scenic ferry back towards Argentina, followed by a stop off for excellent ground coffee in San Martín de los Andes. A well-loved bikepacking route lifted us out of the town on a busy tourist road before depositing us back on gravelly caminos and dusty double-track, traversing through national park lands and taking in breathtaking rock formations and thundering, aquamarine rivers.

While pushing past a landslide on our way to Bariloche, I (Suzie) gave my back a tweak, creating an injury that put an end to our more fanciful off-road plans. Instead, we pivoted back onto the tarmac, which thankfully took us through collections of more vibrant lakes, reminiscent of Yukon in northern Canada. A brief stop with Lili at the Casa de Ciclistas outside El Bolsón was more refreshing than one night normally would be, with the dried flowers she sells lining the roof of the beautiful, simple cabin she offers to touring cyclists.

We continued to pedal south, passing through the breathtaking Los Alerces national park and towards Trevelin, a town famous for being home to a Welsh-speaking population. Here we were welcomed into the home of George and Lili; George is the brother of my aunt’s close friend Cathy, with my aunt having informed us a few months ago that George may have room for some smelly guests. We were treated immediately like family and enjoyed a few days of rest and relaxation in the couple’s stunning home with mountian views. George is an excellent chef and as such wouldn’t even let us cook, so we were thoroughly spoiled during our stay, lounging around, getting massages (!), and seeing local beauty spots with our hosts. Now that we are further south and in more touristic areas, things are getting less affordable by the day, so it was especially wonderful to have a bed and some space to spread out. Thank you so much George and Lili for your kindness, it really meant a lot.

Now somewhat recharged, we headed back into Chile to join the Carreterra Austral - perhaps the world’s most famous road for bicycle touring. I had been a little worried that we would find this part of the trip dull; after the action-packed dirt roads, how could this hold our attention? I needn’t have worried. First up, although much of the top half is paved, there is still plenty of gravel here for those who like things bumpy. Secondly, we are tired, and at this point it’s been lovely to join a route that although not without its difficulties, and sometimes quite rural, is at least incredibly well documented, meaning there are no nasty surprises. (It’s also not that hilly - thank you, Flatagonia.)

And finally, other cyclists. Ten, 15, maybe 20 per day. At first it was a bit of a shock, and the need to stop and chat got in the way of our well-honed rhythm. But now we are fully in the flow of making new friends at campsites and at the side of the trail, sharing lots of laughs and enjoying the infectious energy of people who aren’t just so knackered. We’ve reencountered cyclists we’ve met on different continents, finally met riders we’ve been in touch with for long periods, and made new friends we hope to stay in touch with for a long time to come. Particularly affecting has been meeting Elizabeth, a 19-year-old German backpacker who read in the Lonely Planet that some people travel the carretera by bike. She promptly bought one in Puerto Montt and is now on her first cycling trip, with almost no camping or riding experience. Nothing helps you rekindle the wonder of bike touring like meeting someone experiencing it for the first time.

Before we sign off, we wanted to mention that we lost a friend over the Christmas period - many of you reading this will have known Aram, a bike and music dork who first took Ed under his wing at university and who, along with his partner Jenne, was a great pal to us for a number of years in south London. He was a little older than us, but his death was still a huge shock. We know that people being struck down by cancer in their prime is, sadly, not a unusual tale. But if you’ve enjoyed our newsletters over these past months, and you can spare a little cash, we’d ask you to consider a donation to this gofundme page, designed to help the family with day-to-day expenses right now, and to build a fund for Aram and Jenne’s son, Eladio. Thanks for considering it.

Next, we have another 350km of carretera before we tackle a notorious, two-ferry border crossing and head towards some of southern Patagonia’s most famous hiking hubs and national parks. Until then!

Toot or boot

Suzie’s sleeping mat growing an air bubble BOOT

Coyhaique having the best outdoor stores for a few thousand kilometres to find a replacement TOOT

The death of the affordable menu del dia BOOT

The wide availability of canned pulses… are we boring? TOOT

No longer being able to afford hotels BOOT

Some of the most beautiful wild camping and swimming spots of the trip TOOT

Thanks and shoutouts

Benson, who made it to Ushuaia TODAY! CONGRATS!

Simon and Lizzie

Matt

Miles

George and Lili

Linda

Eleanor and Liam

Lili

Tom and Sarah

Sam and Kate

Daniel and Heidi

Toby

Brian

Gary

Skylar and Kaz

Archie

Lindsay, Ethan, Raphael and Christoph

About us

We are Edwin Foote and Suzie McCracken - thanks for signing up for our newsletter! Edwin is from England and Suzie is from Northern Ireland and normally we live together in Deptford, south-east London. We arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska, in May 2022 and are attempting to ride our bicycles the length of the Americas, hoping to finish in Argentina in 2024. If you have any recommendations of things we should do, people we should meet or places we should stay, we'd love to hear from you! Please reply to this email, leave a comment on Substack, or follow us on Instagram at ed_win and _suziemccracken.