Cucumber Sandwiches in the Andes

No-one who wasn't mad as a hatter would try to take a horse across the Andes by one of the highest passes between Chile and the Argentine. That was what John Ure was told on his way to take up his diplomatic posting with the British Embassy in Santiago in the early 1970s. Disregarding the sceptics, the author prepared to ride across the hazardous mountains by studying accounts of those who had travelled in earlier centuries. An excellent example was the indomitable Lady Cochrane who was pursued across the Andes by Spanish troops in 1820. John Ure provides exciting passages from these historical tales. "Lady Cochrane rushed onto the bridge, but when in the centre the vibration became so great that she was compelled to lie down, pressing her child to her bosom, suspended over the foaming torrent below. In this perilous situation, Pedro begged of her to lie still, and as the vibration ceased, crept on hands and knees towards her ladyship, taking from her the child and imploring her to remain motionless... they happily succeeded in crossing, when the ropes being cut, the torrent was interposed between her and her pursuers." Armed with this historical knowledge, the Long Rider author and several comrades made their own remarkable journey. Although they did not encounter Lady Cochrane's trembling bridge, they had problems of their own - how many mules, for example, do you need to carry 540 eggs, a storm tent and hay for six horses? Fans of equestrian travel and Latin America will be enchanted by this delightful book .