Ruta 40, the forty, is dramatic – that’s an understatement if ever there was one. Stretching out to mirages, cutting through deepest Patagonia, dragging the snow capped Andes towards us.

Like a cranky old man, it’s tarmac turns to wash board gravel at a drop of a hat, rerouted sections leave signs abandoned in the middle of the desert and getting fuel and water can be tricky.

It’s entertaining too, signed junctions do their best to send you astray and the wildlife is faster than our camper van! These are my favourite images of the stretch south of Perito Moreno – real Patagonian back country.