DOLAVON , 19km west of Gaiman, is the most authentically Welsh of all the villages and that which best preserves the character of an early pioneering settlement. It's a pleasant place to spend an hour wandering around amongst the original, whitened brick buildings and sense times gone by, enjoying the fact that there's not a teashop in sight. The bus from Trelew stops at the midget terminal, near the disused railway station, next to which is a charming stream, lined by weeping willows and curious irrigation waterwheels. In terms of specific sights there's little to see apart from the Molino Harinero at Calle Maipú 61 (Old Flour Mill; open afternoons and weekends; $1), where you'll be guided around by English-speaking student volunteers. Amazingly, the machinery is all original, and is still in working order. The only accommodation is a roadside motel by the YPF fuel station on the main road ($10 per person); there's also a free municipal campsite on the northern edge of the village.

Beyond Dolavon, the road traverses flat military-green thornscrub, punctuated by sandstone outcrops. The Chubut valley's impressive dam, the Dique Florentino Ameghino , lies 12km off the RN25 along a road that's paved till near the end, when it enters a series of tunnels hewn through the solid rock. The reservoir here makes a good picnic stop, and you can also swim, fish and admire the rugged red cliffs. Beneath the dam wall lies a pleasant little hamlet on the green, tree-covered floor of the valley, which contains a good campsite (tel 02965/490329; $3 per person) and places to stay . Basic lodging can be found at El Lago (tel 02965/436268 or 490314; $20-30), which also serves massive three-course menús with all-you-can-eat lamb asados for $12 per person. On Sundays, an El Ñandú bus makes a day-trip from Trelew, leaving at 9am and returning in the afternoon.

West of the turn-off to the dam, the road passes the soaring cliffs of some dramatic rocky outcrops and follows the course of the Valle de los Mártires , where John Evans's famous horse, Malacara, leapt down a precipitous bank, and thus saved his master from the grisly fate that had befallen Evans's companions at the hands of a band of pursuing Tehuelche. At Tecka, the route joins the RN40, which heads 90km north from here to Esquel.