Stage of the Camino
Stage Description
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.
O Camiño dos Faros begins in Malpica de Bergantiños with a stage of 21.3 kilometres that sums up in a single day everything the route has to offer: lighthouses, beaches, cliffs and fishing villages. It is not a flat path despite running beside the sea; the continual climbing and dropping between coves and headlands calls for some eight hours of walking including stops, and it is best tackled at an unhurried pace.
The day sets out from the small lighthouse of Malpica harbour, with the boats moored and the fish market off to one side. The path gains height at once towards cabo San Adrián, a natural viewpoint taking in the town and the archipelago of the islas Sisargas, a refuge for seabirds. Beyond the cape the route drops to the beach of Area Maior and strings together the beaches of Seaia and Beo, with the ford of the regato de Seiruga as the first obstacle of the day.
The middle section runs through Barizo and its harbour, a hamlet of low houses wrested from the wind, and along the beach of Seiruga. From here begins the hardest climb of the stage, the one that leads up to Punta Nariga at kilometre 17.6. The lighthouse crowning the headland, designed by César Portela, rises from the granite like the prow of a ship, with a bronze figure looking out over the Atlantic; it is one of the great landmarks of the route and justifies the climb on its own.
From Nariga the path descends along the coast, crosses the regato do Esteiro and tackles the last ramps before dropping down over Niñóns. The hamlet, barely a handful of houses beside a sheltered beach, closes the first day with the feeling of having walked far more than twenty-one kilometres. It is a quiet ending, with no more than basic services, one that hints at the solitary character of the rest of the route.
The day sets out from the small lighthouse of Malpica harbour, with the boats moored and the fish market off to one side. The path gains height at once towards cabo San Adrián, a natural viewpoint taking in the town and the archipelago of the islas Sisargas, a refuge for seabirds. Beyond the cape the route drops to the beach of Area Maior and strings together the beaches of Seaia and Beo, with the ford of the regato de Seiruga as the first obstacle of the day.
The middle section runs through Barizo and its harbour, a hamlet of low houses wrested from the wind, and along the beach of Seiruga. From here begins the hardest climb of the stage, the one that leads up to Punta Nariga at kilometre 17.6. The lighthouse crowning the headland, designed by César Portela, rises from the granite like the prow of a ship, with a bronze figure looking out over the Atlantic; it is one of the great landmarks of the route and justifies the climb on its own.
From Nariga the path descends along the coast, crosses the regato do Esteiro and tackles the last ramps before dropping down over Niñóns. The hamlet, barely a handful of houses beside a sheltered beach, closes the first day with the feeling of having walked far more than twenty-one kilometres. It is a quiet ending, with no more than basic services, one that hints at the solitary character of the rest of the route.
Last updated: 05/08/2026
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