Claire Leach 06/12/2016 Claire Leach 06/12/2016

Ushuaia, Argentina

We got back to El Calafate and checked in to our cosy hostel. Our coach to Ushuaia wasn't for a couple of days so we spent some time in the hostel working out our travel finances, I relished having some time to do some drawing.

The journey to Ushuaia was a tricky one. Our coach was leaving at 3AM, we managed to stay in the hostel till pretty late before being kicked out at about midnight. We sleepily walked down the hill to the coach station and waited to board. We had a four hour trip to Rio Gallegos then a two hour wait. More hours on the coach followed then a border crossing, a ferry, another border crossing and more hours on the coach until we finally reached the so called 'end of the world' Ushuaia after sunset.

On our first day in the town we went for a wander and took some photographs of the snowcapped mountains that sit behind the town. The mountains, colourful houses and boats really reminded me of Reykjavik in Iceland. After lunch we made our way to a nearby glacier for a walk. It was a sunny day but the wind and cold temperatures meant that coats were definitely required. I found the walk to be really quite tough, a combination of factors meant that I had no belief in myself and urged Craig to carry on without me. After a few tears and some encouragement I began to walk again and step by step made progress up the steep trail. Just as we reached the end point of the walk, high on a ridge the weather closed in and it started to snow. We had an obscured view of the glacier and Ushuaia thanks to the blizzard conditions but it certainly made for an interesting sight. After taking a few snaps we headed back down and couldn't believe how deep the snow had got in such a short space of time. Luckily we wear heavy duty waterproof walking boots and we had lots of layers on so we felt fairly prepared for the weather. The snow dusted the trees and made for a magical landscape, I'd have liked to have stayed longer admiring the frosted surroundings but the snow was really whipping at our faces and piling on our rucksacks.

We got to the bottom and dusted ourselves off, we treated ourselves to a much deserved hot chocolate at the refuge while our things dried off.

The following day we decided to do a walk to Laguna Esmeralda as we got up a little too late to do Tierra del Fuego as we had planned. We took a jeep to the start of the walk with four other backpackers, all hailing from Israel. We arrived at the start of the walk. The snow was thick, our driver decided to do doughnuts just as he was about to drop us off, skidding around on the ice was exhilarating to say the least! We all decided to walk together and it was so much fun, it was only the second time that the girls from Israel had seen snow so they were extremely excited which was contagious. We walked through the snowy forest being careful not to slip and made it to an open bit of ground. Everything was white and most of the snow was untouched, just a path of footprints revealed the trail. We made it to the lake after a couple of hours walking in the cold, after a very quick lunch perched on a branch we hastily walked back as the cold was starting to chill us to our bones. Conversation flowed, we discussed film and our futures, the compulsory military service that all Israeli's must complete and agreed on hot chocolates at the end of the walk.

At the refuge we played with husky puppies and drank the sweetest and thickest hot chocolates before our driver collected us.

November 11th; Parque National Tierra del Fuego. I'd been looking forward to walking in this famous national park for a long time. We woke early and caught a bus to the park, after paying the park fee we started our walk. It was a drizzly day but it soon brightened up as we got going. We walked along the waters edge, through forest and with Beagle Channel and mountain views. The colours in the landscape reminded me of an autumnal day in my home county of Hampshire, oranges and browns.

For lunch we sat on a branch and ate our sandwiches, it was so quiet beneath the trees. The trail meandered on to a pebble beach and then steeply up through the trees again, I felt a surge of pride as I was able to keep going up the steep track. On so many occasions on this trip I've felt inadequate, too unfit and not prepared enough. For the first time in a long time I felt like I could do this and I did, I walked through the ache in my legs and through the breathlessness and reached the finish point.

Next stop: Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park.

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Claire Leach 26/11/2016 Claire Leach 26/11/2016

El Calafate and El Chaltén, Argentina

We'd been waiting to get here for a long time, this area is home to Perito Moreno one of the worlds most impressive glaciers, Mount Fitz Roy, vibrant blue lakes and open skies. We stopped in El Calafate for a couple of nights, our hostel was like a big wooden cabin with cosy beds and friendly people.

Most travel to El Calafate to see Perito Moreno Glacier and we were no exception. The following day we took a bus to the glacier and went for a walk along the boardwalks. The glacier was breathtaking. The ice glowed blue and every now and again huge chunks would fall crashing into the water below with a mighty thunder. As we walked the weather started to turn and so we retreated to a cafe to warm ourselves with a hot chocolate before taking one last look at the glacier and jumping back on the coach.

We spent the next day leisurely wandering around the quaint town. After booking our coach to El Chaltén we walked to the nature reserve and watched the flamingos on the lake.

The following day we packed our bags and caught the coach to El Chaltén, a relatively short drive away. As we got closer the landscape changed dramatically, we were faced with majestic mountain views. We had an obligatory stop at the rangers office where we were all given advice about the national park before walking across town to our little blue hostel. We decided to make the most of the clear weather and went on a late walk to a nearby waterfall, it didn't take long and was an easy stroll. We were rewarded with lovely views along the way and the waterfall was a pretty spot.

November 1st, two months travelling today! It was going to be a big day, we were up early to do the Laguna de los Tres walk to see Mount Fitz Roy. We'd been told that the walk wasn't too strenuous but that the last kilometre was a killer, it would be over 20 kilometres in total (10 there and 10 back). With our walking boots on we left the hostel and made our way down the road to the start of the hike. The first section was uphill and already felt like a struggle. We continued on passing beautiful scenery as we went. The walk was an interesting one, through woodland, past lakes, over rickety little bridges and sandy paths. As we walked we noticed little signs telling us how far we had come; 1/10 then 2/10 until finally 9/10, the dreaded last kilometre was before us. What started as a steep trail that stretched the legs soon became a tiring scramble. Despite the whipping wind I felt like I was burning up and had to remove layers of clothes. I was amazed at how some people whizzed up the path, the sound of their trekking poles tapping along the rocks became a distant sound as I was slowly moving up, step by step. Eventually we could see the snow and just over the ridge a moody Mount Fitz Roy stood before us. The wind was so powerful, I was nearly knocked off my feet a few times and had to huddle by a rock. We ate our picnic lunch surrounded by such grandeur before attempting to take a few photos. After, we started the long walk back, my knees were not happy on the way down.

After a couple of slips we made it to the bottom of the 1km stretch and decided to treat ourselves to some biscuits by the refugio, we watched birds in the trees and the other hikers as they started their walk up the steep trail. After a few minutes we began to walk again, we had 9 kilometres before us back the way we had come. By the last couple of kilometres I was nearly in tears, the strain on my legs and particularly my knees felt like too much to bear. As the finish line approached I felt such relief and couldn't wait to take off my heavy boots at the hostel.

The next morning; ouch! My legs ached and my cold had reappeared with a vengeance. We decided to take it easy and wandered down the road to a cute café named Mathilda for treats, we didn't do much else all day.

After our rest day we were feeling fit enough to go for a walk but the weather had other ideas. El Chaltén's main street had became a wind tunnel and huge downpours of rain scattered throughout the day. We did a very short walk to a condor viewpoint and saw excellent views of the town. The delights of Mathilda were calling so we popped in again for warming hot drinks and cake. I'm going to miss dulce de leche so much when I leave South America.

November 4th, our anniversary. Not just any anniversary though, we've been together for 10 years, a whole decade. With the weather still not playing ball we went for a fairly short walk to Cerro Torre viewpoint passing a waterfall on the way. Somehow I managed to hit my head on a branch and the relentless rain meant we got absolutely drenched. After a couple of hours out and about we returned to the hostel to dry off then made a quick dash to a vegetarian restaurant for our celebratory dinner. It was delicious and worth the fact that we each spent a whole days budget on it!

The next day we left El Chaltén and headed back to El Calafate. Our journey from El Calafate to 'end of the world' Ushuaia awaited.

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Claire Leach 22/11/2016 Claire Leach 22/11/2016

Puerto Madryn, Argentina

After another big overnight journey we made it to Puerto Madryn. Despite the tiredness we walked to our hostel and after a tea and coffee ventured out for a walk along the seafront to the site of the Welsh settlements. The weather was a complete surprise, blue skies and high temperatures, vastly different to our time in Bariloche.

The next day we woke early to do a tour of Peninsula Valdés. We saw so many animals. From the minibus window we watched guanacos (similar to llamas and alpacas) and a rhea and chick crossing the road. Our first stop was to see huge elephant seals lazing on the sand, we also saw a sea lion having a slow swim in the ocean. On another stop we saw the cutest little Magellanic penguins napping in their burrows. After an impromptu stop to watch mare from the window and a quick armadillo sighting we made our way to our boat trip to hopefully spot whales.

We were so lucky as we spotted several southern right whales, one as it breached. We also witnessed a mother and calf gently swimming by the boat, I'll never get over how beautiful and majestic these creatures are.

The following day was a relaxed one, we spent the evening chatting to fellow Brits George and Rosie, swapping travel stories and laughing a lot until the early hours.

As we didn't have any plans for the next day, we were invited to join George and Rosie on a road trip to see a huge penguin colony at Punta Tombo. The drive was a little long through quite desolate landscape but it felt so great to have the freedom to drive where we wanted and George and Rosie were excellent company.

We arrived at the colony and were overwhelmed by the amount of penguins, they were everywhere! Walking on the pathways, dozing in their burrows and generally milling around making noise and mess! It was a joy to see so many of them, particularly the ones swimming in the ocean.

The following couple of days were spent deliberating about what to do next, going for walks along the beach and watching the sunset from the pier. We still weren't feeling 100% and so a little down time was much appreciated. While Craig got some rest I spent hours drawing in the hostel kitchen, eating apples with an ocean view. Our next stop would be El Calafate, home to Los Glacieres National Park and where we'd finally see some real wild Patagonian landscapes.

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A sweet little watercolour inspired by autumn in the forest. 🍂 Available at claireleach.com/shop for £140 plus postage.

An August Afternoon, 15cm x 10.5cm, ink on paper. Available to purchase via my shop; claireleach.com/shop. Full of light and leafy details, inspired by a walk on a summers day @lacocknt in Wiltshire. 🌞