THE LIGHTHOUSE WAY

O Camiño dos Faros (The Lighthouse Way) is a 200-km hiking route in Galicia (Spain) that links Malpica with Finisterre along the coastline. A route that runs by all the Lighthouses and the most important landmarks in A Costa da Morte, where definitely, it is the sea the one that plays the main role.

 

We have all heard of the Costa da Morte at some point. Of its cliffs, of its black legends of shipwrecks. I had even been to these lands several times.

It was in one of them the first time I heard about Camiño dos Faros, sitting in an establishment that formerly served as a navy 

surveillance headquarters in the enclave of Finisterre lighthouse. 

That same day I dared to do a few kilometers, so from the point where I was I walked “upside down” from the lighthouse to the Rostro    beach.  

There, on that beach open wildly to the Atlantic, I knew that some

how, Cunqueiro had to be part of it. The history of the road has 

just convinced me: in 2012 four friends took a walk thinking that it was possible to join Malpica with Fisterra along the coast, with 

the constant presence of the sea. And when they got it, they knew 

that they should share it and turn that secret into a sustainable 

resource for the area, yes, but above all compatible with the people who lived there. Make your landscapes known, yes, but also your 

traditions, your way of life. Five years later, thanks to the 

dedication of those first “trasnos”, the route was recognized 

worldwide.

I rooted in the land, tradition and effort, values ​​that in Bodegas 

Cunqueiro we have been engraving for three generations. The Camiño 

dos Faros wine is born, the idea of ​​uniting or Ribeiro with A Costa da Morte through a wine that picks up his personality, his Atlantic essence, his authentic character. A wine with 8 labels, 

with 8 headlights for each of its stages. But we could not settle just to 

help promote this little piece of coastline, somehow we had to 

contribute to its sustainability. Therefore, for each sale of a 

bottle, a part will be used for the maintenance and care of this 

road.

The road experience

That day in Playa do Rostro enlivened in me the desire to continue 

entering those places. It was like a call that would later become a necessity every time one of its stages ended.

I had a journey of 200 km through steep cliffs, beaches, mountains and small fishing villages where the essence of authenticity is 

kept alive. Ideal for sharing the experience with its inhabitants 

around a glass of wine. And that they moved me, without me knowing 

it, to what those first Orensan taverns in which my grandfather

 would sell the wine he made with so much care should be.

1st STAGE: Malpica – Niñóns

On March 16 we arrived in Malpica to start something that would 

change the perspective I had of the Costa da Morte. I was accompanied by several people who would record the experience and help me 

tell you.

This first stage begins with a relaxed stretch that goes from the 

port and continues along the beach promenade. A beginning that does not let us imagine what we will find after arriving at the Cabo de 

San Adrián. From there we skirt the coast through the area of ​​cliffs, still soft, and with the constant presence of the Sisargas Islands on our right. Until you reach the first of the lighthouses and 

curiously, the last of those that were built in Galicia. With it we will inaugurate the series of labels that dress the wine of Camiño 

dos Faros with each one the 8 lighthouses that crown each stage.

Leaving Nariga, the first of the surprises was waiting for us: 

climbing the steep stones along the cliff, while under our lashes 

the sea hard. A piece of rugged and lonely coast that made reaching Niñóns beach one of my happiest days. And the feeling of having 

found paradise.

2nd STAGE: Niñóns – Ponteceso

We leave the beach, bordering the coast for 9 km in which we will 

cross small beaches such as the Barda, which with its turquoise 

blue waters seems more typical of other latitudes than our brave 

tlantic.

From that point begins one of the toughest and toughest sections of this stage, a leg breaker that goes up and down a path where a 

person barely catches. At the end of it, the lighthouse do Roncudo, in the middle of a hard landscape, surrounded by granite stones, and with incredible views over the estuary of Corme and Laxe. A special and mysterious place that receives its name from the hoarse noise 

that the sea seems to make when it breaks against the cliffs.

We continue to Corme, where we enjoy Cunqueiro for a moment 

accompanied by the famous barnacles of Roncudo, and we will finish 

the route with a totally different landscape: the Anllóns estuary 

through the dunes of A Barra beach.

Without a doubt, the stage that I liked the most.

3rd STAGE: Ponteceso – Laxe

At the exit, we cross the Anllóns to A outra banda, the name by whi

ch the locals call the group of houses on the other side of the river. It is curious to see the road already walked from the other side and the dune of Monte Branco from here is more spectacular.

But this stage attracts attention because for the first time we lose sight of the sea with the intention of showing us the Costa da 

Morte from its first settlers: the archaeological remains of Castro A Cibda and the Dolmen de Dombate.

The reunion with the coast will leave us breathless: the viewpoint 

of Castelo de Lourido, the highest point of Camiño dos Faros, will 

give us one of the most spectacular views: a 360º panoramic view of the Corme and Laxe estuary.

4th STAGE: Laxe-Arou

This is the shortest stage of Camiño, but for me it had two 

unexpected surprises. Just 3 kilometers away from Laxe, we discovered Playa dos Cristais, which we had never heard of. And what is it 

about? Well, nothing more and nothing less than the glass of bottles and other containers that people threw in a landfill in the area 

and the sea polished with its waves and returned to this small cove.

But my biggest astonishment was finding my double: Man de Camelle. 

The story of Manfred Gnädinger would give for another article, so 

I invite you to take a tour of the museum in his honor in Camelle 

and know a little more about the life and work of this German who 

died in December 2002, they say that sorry for what happened after 

the Prestige.

5th STAGE: Arou- Camariñas

We return again to the lonely coast and the legends of shipwrecks, 

with places like or Cementerio dos Ingleses. A stretch without 

difficulties, dotted with wild and lonely beaches, such as that of 

Thirteen or the beaches of Reira, where the passage of cetaceans is common. We were lucky: we saw a big dolphin swimming in them.

The trasnos say that this stage is the heart of Camiño dos Faros, 

and perhaps the great fault of it is the lighthouse that has the 

crown and that caused me great impact: that of Corporal Vilán. 

Perhaps that is why we were clear that it would be here to make the presentation of our wine on Camiño. The enclave, the stone patio 

discovered inside the building that houses the lighthouse. And 

music, and laughs, and trasn friends. A great day. A great moment 

Cunqueiro.

6th STAGE: Camariñas – Muxía

The longest of all and once again a stage with many contrasts. The 

beaches are less striking, less steep and with softer sand like Lago. But what I remember most about this route has nothing to do with 

its landscapes. We almost lost all the documentation recorded when 

we dropped the camera memory card between the tables of a beach walkway!

7th STAGE: Muxía-Nemiña

Perhaps it is one of the hardest and steepest stages. We start with an important climb, but that does not end: once we reach the top of Mount Cachelmo we go down to go back up … and so on until a third time. Crossing the Furna da Buserana or Punta da Buitra transports 

you to another place. But what makes you feel in another dimension 

is what is a little beyond the end: enjoy the sunset in Lires.

8th STAGE: Nemiña-Fisterra

It is the stage with which it all began, but this time I did it in 

the direction it should be …

I liked it as much as the second one, although I couldn’t get it out of my head that the end of something I liked so much was just around the corner. Despite the sadness, I had a great time accompanied by friends who dared to do it with me.

And if the first time on the beach of Rostro I was clear that I had to travel that coast, that day I also knew that I will return to 

Camiño dos Faros.

The one who writes is Marta Amado, narrating in first person the experiences of César Fernández in her experience at 

Camiño dos Faros.