Path of the Lighthouses

The first day of O Camiño dos Faros, the route that links Malpica with cabo Fisterra, skirting the Costa da Morte. The 21.3 kilometres set out from the fishing harbour of Malpica and come out almost a...

The first day of O Camiño dos Faros, the route that links Malpica with cabo Fisterra, skirting the Costa da Morte. The 21.3 kilometres set out from the fishing harbour of Malpica and come out almost at once at cabo San Adrián, with the islas Sisargas cut out against the horizon. From there the route strings together beaches — Area Maior, Seaia, Beo, Seiruga, Barizo — separated by stretches of cliff and scrubland that force a constant up and down. The decisive section comes at kilometre 17.6, with the climb to Punta Nariga and its lighthouse, the work of the architect César Portela, raised on the rock in the silhouette of a ship's prow. The final descent leads to Niñóns, a tiny fishing hamlet tucked at the back of its beach.

The second stage of O Camiño dos Faros and one of the most demanding on the route, with 27.1 kilometres combining cliff, dunes and estuary. The day advances along the Costa da Tremosa, an airy stretch...

The second stage of O Camiño dos Faros and one of the most demanding on the route, with 27.1 kilometres combining cliff, dunes and estuary. The day advances along the Costa da Tremosa, an airy stretch above the sea with commanding views, until it reaches cabo Roncudo, the sanctuary of the Galician goose barnacle, where the percebeiros work the wave-battered rocks under the watch of its lighthouse. Beyond the harbour of Corme the route turns inland along the ría, climbs monte Branco and descends to the dunes of A Barra and to the mouth of the río Anllóns, a wetland of great ornithological value. Ponteceso, at the head of the estuary, brings to an end a long stage over exposed terrain.

A stage of contrasts: the only one on O Camiño dos Faros that genuinely heads inland before returning to the sea. The first kilometres follow the estuary of the río Anllóns, a flat stretch and an exce...

A stage of contrasts: the only one on O Camiño dos Faros that genuinely heads inland before returning to the sea. The first kilometres follow the estuary of the río Anllóns, a flat stretch and an excellent one for birdwatching, before the path turns inland and takes on the climb along the Ruta do Rego dos Muíños, the greatest effort of the day. Waiting at the top are two jewels of Galician prehistory: the hill fort of A Cibdá de Borneiro and the dolmen of Dombate, one of the best-preserved megaliths in the north-west of the Peninsula. Monte Castelo, at 312 metres, is the high point of the stage and offers the widest panorama on the route. The final descent returns the pilgrim to the coast by way of the beaches of Rebordelo and San Pedro as far as Laxe.

La etapa más corta y amable de O Camiño dos Faros, 18 kilómetros de perfil suave que permiten caminar sin reloj. La jornada empieza subiendo al faro de Laxe, con la ría entera a los pies, y sigue por ...

La etapa más corta y amable de O Camiño dos Faros, 18 kilómetros de perfil suave que permiten caminar sin reloj. La jornada empieza subiendo al faro de Laxe, con la ría entera a los pies, y sigue por la furna da Espuma y la playa dos Cristais, un arenal de cantos de vidrio pulido por el mar. El camino encadena después los arenales de Soesto y Traba, este último respaldado por una laguna que es refugio de aves acuáticas, y bordea un tramo de costa rocosa de formaciones caprichosas. Camelle, antiguo puerto ballenero, guarda el museo do Alemán, el jardín de esculturas que Manfred Gnädinger levantó frente al mar. Arou, una aldea de pescadores encajada entre rocas, pone el punto final.

A stage of 23.8 kilometres that crosses the most legendary section of the Costa da Morte. After leaving Arou and passing the harbour of Santa Mariña, the path runs along the beaches of Lobeiras, Trece...

A stage of 23.8 kilometres that crosses the most legendary section of the Costa da Morte. After leaving Arou and passing the harbour of Santa Mariña, the path runs along the beaches of Lobeiras, Trece and Reira and reaches, at kilometre 8.5, the Cementerio de los Ingleses, where the sailors of the ship Serpent, wrecked in 1890, lie buried. It is the episode that gave this coast its name. The route continues by way of cabo Veo and culminates at cabo Vilán, crowned by the first electric lighthouse in Spain, the symbol of the whole route and the point where the sea strikes the rock with the greatest violence. The final descent past the ermita da Virxe do Monte leads to Camariñas, the town of bobbin lace.

The longest stage of O Camiño dos Faros, 32.6 kilometres, is nevertheless one of the most manageable: the profile is almost flat and much of the route runs along forest track and path. The day leaves ...

The longest stage of O Camiño dos Faros, 32.6 kilometres, is nevertheless one of the most manageable: the profile is almost flat and much of the route runs along forest track and path. The day leaves the sea to work around the ría by way of Ponte do Porto and Cereixo, where the Romanesque church of Santiago, a tidal mill and a thirty-metre oak are preserved. Back on the coast, the path strings together the beaches of Leis, Lago — an essential stop halfway through the stage — Os Muíños and Espiñeirido, with the lighthouses of Punta do Lago and Muxía as reference points. Monte Corpiño, already above the town, offers the best sunset on the route before the descent to the santuario da Virxe da Barca.