A good day, despite the naysayers in Esquel who tried to convince me the Futaleufú Pass was closed. It wasn’t. But first things first.

Very heavy overnight snow in Esquel had caused the town’s electricity supply to fail, and with it Internet and mobile phone signals. So I waited until 10.00 and went along to Vialidad who told me that there was no problem at all with the road to Chile so I set off with a cheerful wave to the naysayers in the hotel.

And Vialidad were right. Despite the heavy snow in Esquel it was the only falling snow I saw in the day and there was precious little on the roads until I got to Villa Santa Lucia, in Chile and on the ruta 7. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First stop, Trevelin, the mill town. Welsh country here, with a dragon perched precariously on the roof of the information office. I know the town quite well and will be returning later in the trip so drove straight through the town towards the border with Chile. The Tulip festival is getting underway in Trevelin, but the fields are covered in mud and snow with few tulips visible. When I come back next week they should be in full flower.

So, lots of snow around but the road to Chile was clear. Mostly gravel, and very twisty in parts, which made the journey slow but we passed through some beautiful country.

The road from Esquel to Puyuhuapi was the road taken by the Top Gear team back in 2014. They were not especially complimentary about the route, nor my destination, Puyuhuapi. Pearls before swine, I reckon.

So many rivers and bridges ..

Until finally I reached the Ruta 7 (Carretera Austral) at Villa Santa Lucía.

And to prove it …

Filled car with diesel and self with coffee at La Junta, at a COPEC service station, the equivalent of Argentina’s YPF.

And finally arrived in the sleepy little town of Puyuhuapi ….

…. which now has a huge number of hosterías and restaurants to cater for passing tourists ‘doing the Carretera Austral’.

The sun was up now, and it was lovely to walk around a little after being stuck in a snow bound car for so long.

A modest little village really, whose old houses record a life before the tourists arrive.

I arrived a little ahead of schedule and my host was not at home so I went for a welcome beer at Scarlet’s cafe …

…. before checking in for the night. An evening fish supper and a glass of wine, and was ready for bed. Tomorrow, to Coyhaique.

It was still snowing. when I got up this morning – ocular proof if required in the photo below, taken from my bedroom window.

Breakfast was provided, but I was more interested in the stag who overlooked the diners: not sure, but the horns seem wrong for a red deer, and fallow it ain’t. I think perhaps a male Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus). The Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) has similar antlers but has a black nose as I remember. Either way, a little way from home, but I may be wrong.

Villa Angostura early Sunday morning was quiet as I drove through, and the roads not too bad for the first ten miles or so.

Then of course we had to go up – lots of mountains round here, and it was yesterday again. There must be better ways of spending a quiet Sunday than battling snow storms in the pre-Cordillera.

We were briefly held up by. a lorry that had skidded and shed his load, but by the time I arrived enough had been cleared to go through single file.

The whole day was an alternation between driving snow and driving rain as we switchbacked our way to Esquel, interspersed with the occasional flash of sun which was actually even less welcome because of its reflection on all the white snow.

Stopped at a service station for an inedible media luna and an undrinkable coffee, which increased my desire for lunch inEl Bolsón. I had been looking forward to pizza and a raspberry beer in a place I know, but sadly it was shut midday. Photo included for Caroline.

I did end up in a trendy modern place where I had a very welcome guiso de lentajas (lentil stew), and a good local beer.

The second part of the journey was better, with less snow as the roads flattened and straightened out and I drove by some familiar places: the great museum at Leleque and Butch Cassidy’s ranch house near Cholilla but I was running late (the first half of the day I was averaging 30 mph) so I cracked on to Esquel.

My friend the snowman was waiting to greet me as I drove in to Esquel, and I found my bed for the night – a very comfortable hostería a couple of kilometres outside Esquel, on the road to Trevelin and Chile that I shall be following tomorrow. Once arrived I couldn’t find the energy to go back into town so dined on coffee, banana and biscuits. Cheap and healthy enough.

Tomorrow the plan is to cross back into Chile through the Futaleufú Pass. We’ll see.

Strange day altogether. First of all, a radical change of plan, as I couldn’t get a ferry reservation south to Chaitén. All ferries booked up for at least five days. Decided to cross back into Argentina and return to Chile through a pass further down (see map). Not ideal, but doable. Will teach me not to assume that in low season I can just drive on to a ferry. Adjustment route in orange below, as before from red X.

Left Puerto Varas at midday, after doing some local shopping and sightseeing. Got a call informing me that there were petrol shortages in Argentina; because of this petrol was being rationed in Chilean service stations near the border and it took ingenuity and Google map navigation to get the tank filled up – something I was loth to do as it cost me twice what it costs in Argentina. But necessary.

Incessant driving rain all the way to the Chilean border post made for boring driving, but alleviated inter alia by Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Grateful Dead. No photos for that reason. At the border they would only let drivers through who could show they had chains, as a snow storm was brewing. I had my snow sleeves which didn’t really convince them, but the traction controls on the SW4 did, so they let me through.

Fighting my way through an Andean pass in a snow storm is not really my idea of fun, and a first for me in the SW4 but I made friends with a couple of other drivers and we made a mini-convoy. Heavy snow falling, settling to half a metre or so at the very top, but we made it; we saw others who didn’t, scattered at strange angles in the snow drifts. On the way down into Argentina we saw the snow ploughs going up, accompanied by a two-blue ambulance so clearly help was on its way, although more heavy snow was forecast for the night and tomorrow.

So now I’m back in Argentina, in the lovely hundred-year old Hotel Angostura, looking forward to a hot shower and an evening meal. Not sure yet about tomorrow – will decide at breakfast time.

Left San Martín de los Andes on time – a cold, wet morning as I took the Siete Lagos road towards the Puyehue Pass into Chile.

Stopped for a pee at one of my favourite peeing places. An explanation may be necessary here. Lake Lacar, the lake on which San Martín de los Andes is located, is unusual in that it drains not into the Atlantic as one would expect but into the Pacific. This has been the cause of much discussion from Chile about ownership, which need not detain us here.

Anyway, at this particular spot on the Seven Lakes road the stream splits into two. One of these flows into Lake Lacar and thence to the Pacific, while the other drains into the Atlantic. So by peeing into the stream just before the bifurcation you can pee simultaneously into two oceans. Way to go.

Puyehue is the name of the pass, but also of a volcano which erupted a few years ago causing general inconvenience to the locals and also to international aviation. The sides of the road still bear evidence in the form of piles of volcanic ash.

There are many miles of neutral land between the Argentine and Chilean border posts, and at the top of the pass is the actual border, where the mist generously cleared long enough for me to take a photo.

I was the only traveller going westward and got through the two migration and customs posts in record time but coming the other way it was another story: a national holiday in Chile on a Friday meant huge numbers of Chileans coming over to Argentina, probably to Bariloche. The cars were backed up a good eight kilometres from the border.

Once in Chile it was time for a bite to eat and I stopped in Entre Lagos. I couldn’t find any particularly appetising places to stop at, but chose well with a tasty and nourishing stew of beans, spaghetti and sausages. Cheap and filling.

For some reason all the service stations on the Ruta 5 seem to have disappeared so I didn’t get my coffee until Puerto Varas, where I caught the last half hour of the Argentina-England World Cup rugby playoff for third place. Close game, with England scraping a win.

I got to my destination on time, a friendly family guest house with good wifi, lockup parking and a comfy bed. Good enough for a first day. `Didn’t feel like eating much after my huge lunch so bought some bread and cheese at a despensa and retired early. Tomorrow, Hornopirén.

Thursday, 26 Oct – San Martín de los Andes

Tomorrow I start a short trip down the Carretera Austral, Chile’s Route 7, which runs southwards through Patagonia Puerto Montt to Villa O’Higgins, a distance of some 1,2225 kms (about 770 miles). I’ll be coming back through Argentina, on more familiar roads up the RN40

The road ahead is mostly tarmac (asphalt) with patches of gravel (ripio), and in the early stages three or four ferries (my route marked in red on the map below).

I’ll be travelling in my SW4, freshly serviced, wheels balanced and aligned, tank full and boot packed with things I probably don’t need, won’t use but it’s good to have. Kindle and camera batteries charged and space on the passenger seat for bins, camera and long lens. Not much preparation needed as I intend to stay in hostels and pensiones but it’s good to be prepared.

So, off at dawn, with Canned Heat all set up on the iPhone as I drive off for the Chilean border.