During a previous visit to Chile, we tracked north from Valparaíso, all the way to Cartagena in Colombia. It seemed logical to start our southward journey here.

We’d headed directly to Valparaíso from the airport in Santiago – not only did that mean we were right at our preferrred starting point, it meant that we avoided the horrible tangle of autopistas around the capital. The bikes were still packed for the flight, so it was a doddle to heave them on to the direct bus right outside Arrivals.

We had a (literal) baptism of fire as we left town, with smoke from protest fires and a distinct whiff of tear gas in the air. The students at the University were protesting something – I didn’t find out what it was.

The coast always looks like a tempting ride, with the road hugging the edge of the land; the reality is often quite different, as that road scales the heights to get around cliffs and outcrops. It was a tough ride – but beautiful.