Tag Archives: Cliffs

Ribeira of Viseu

If the stage till that point had been of loads of ascents, it is at this moment when we start the huge descent of this stage. From the 269 meters of Mount Pedrouzo we have to descend till the sea level, to reach the beach Moreira.

We take a path along the Ribeira of Viseu to get the huge descent of O Camiño dos Faros: the descent to Moreira. Our route is full of feelings and this is great! While we try not to fall down, which is very common at this point, we stop from time to time to admire, a bird’s eye view, a panoramic that you only “see” if you are a Trasno.

On the foreground we see the silhouette of the Lighthouse Touriñán, another outstanding site of this Camiño dos Faros. It will take us longer than two hours to get to it.

Bay Baleeira

The next goal in this Camiño dos Faros is the Rock Soesto. After walking by the cemetery, we take the turn on our right that will lead us to a small path along which we walk the Bay Baleeira

Before the existence of O Camiño dos Faros, there weren´t any hiking-trails. The feeling of vertigo when walking along these cliffs is really huge although there is always room for error to avoid any fatal consequence.

Before reaching the “Punta do Castro”, the path turns to the left to go up the Rock of Soesto.

Descendent to the Lighthouse in O Roncudo

O Camiño dos Faros leads to the Lighthouse O Roncudo in different way if we compare it with the rest of the routes. From the village we walk along the windmill farm till the penultimate lines of windmills from where we start descending by taking a kind of complicate path that has been opened by the Trasnos towards the lighthouse.

In some parts of the route there are some steep slopes and it´s kind of difficult to keep balance. However, it is worth to do it just because of the amazing views we can enjoy.

Just looking towards our right, we can see the “Baixos das Abruillas” and along the small path among gorse we walk some of the coastal projections that get into the sea of O Roncudo, till we get to “A Furna da Fuxisaca” (a furna is a kind of maritime cave typical in the Galician coast). There is a moment where we can see the 3 lighthouses we have stopped by in the first stages. Behind, Punta Nariga and the Sisargas Islands.

Huge cliffs have been the witness of the stories of some shipwrecks and enormous caves that will lead us to O Roncudo.

Cape of A Nave

Along the path that borders the beach Arnela we reach the first cliffs of the Cape of A Nave. All this stage has taken us along a rough and uneven coast that we have walked across along the highest parts of this section, but this stretch has no comparison. All along 2 kilometers and a half, we will ascend progressively along a path, from a 40-meter height till the 220 meters of the antennas of the Cape of A Nave.

From the path we see all these wild cliffs that fall down in vertical towards a rough, wild and threatening Ocean.

We are walking along a safe place, but looking down may make us feel dizzy. From that point, Point Longa has the appearance of a crocodile getting into the sea.

Huge and unspoiled rocks that can have only two colonizers: the birds and these goats that are able to balance on them without falling down the ocean…

After this demanding walking, we reach the antennas of Cape of the Nave, where we rest for a while and face the last kilometers of this Camiño dos Faros.

The views of this kind of balcony are amazing. The mount that falls in vertical, the beach of the “Mar de fora” and the imposing MountFacho, which hides our last goal: the lighthouse of Fisterra.

We descend along the road of the Cape till we get into some forest by taking the right way that will take us directly to “Mar de Fora”.

Punta Castelo

This stretch between Punta of the Pardas and Punta Castelo is a very good example that describes perfectly O Camiño dos Faros. It is a coast of an unquestionable beauty, full of history that dates back to time immemorial and that hides a past of death in the middle of a paradise.

We walk bordering Rostro and the panoramic view from the Point of the Pardas is amazing. We have to be very careful and not go too close to the edge as these cliffs go down vertically towards the ocean of the Punta Castelo, on the foreground, challenging us.

Right at this point, in the middle of an explosion of life, it took place one of the events that changed the life of this area for a few days.

On December 5^th, in 1987 early in the morning the Panamanian flagged-bulk carrier Casón was sailing 15 miles off Fisterra with 31 crew members, all of them from China, with a load of 1100 tons of chemical flammable, toxic and corrosive products whose destination was Shangai. In the middle of a huge storm, the load is moved and a big fire starts.

The captain who is the only one who knows what they were carrying orders to leave the vessel. In the middle of the smoke and the toxic gases a lot of the crew members jumped into the sea, they had to do whatever except staying on the hell where they had got into. It was only possible to rescue 8 crew members.

The ship owner doesn´t take any responsibility during the rescue and the Cason, in spite of the fact that the tug boat was nearby, ends up crashing and wrecking between the Punta of the Pardas and the Castelo.

From that moment on, there are several theories about the kind of load the vessel was carrying and people start getting worried. On December 10^th, in the afternoon, and forecasted alive the load spilled on the ocean starts provoking explosions when it gets in contact with the water and the vessel, involved in smoke, seems as if it were to burst. The state of alarm of the inhabitants who were already nervous because of the lack of coordination and the contradictory information the authorities and the media provided them with.

On that night, the “Delegado of the Government” announces via the Galician Radio that there is a toxic cloud and 700 hundred buses are taken to Fisterra to evacuate the inhabitants. After listening to him, there is a massive runaway. The inhabitants take their own cars and drive away towards the nearest villages. The main roads of Vimianzo and Carballo are filled with people that are very scared and arrived by car, busses, or even in the trucks filled up with fish. Hours later, García Sabell, refutes the fact that the cloud was toxic. But it was too late.

Schools and sports halls are packed. About 12,000 neighbors that were returning to their villages. It is also true that some inhabitants had decided not to leave the village despite the threat.

The History of this vessel didn´t finish there. The government decided to take the load to Brens but its inhabitants didn´t want it at all. From that moment on, the load started a kind of pilgrimage that finished in Aluminia-Aluminio in San Cibrán. There, in the middle of the mess that this arrival had provoked, the workers decided to leave the building and the ovens of the factory stopped working. The economic loss reached 120 million euros, that has been the most expensive tragedy in Spain for sure. 109 workers were fired and the 22 members of the work council.

In the end, the load ended in Antwerp, the vessel was dismantled and the its structure remains here, under the water 100 meters off the coast full of stories, in this Costa da Morte.

Vídeos

On our walk along the cliffs, we admire the beauty of this place so rough. From this balcony overlooking the sea, we remember the History.

Cliffs of Lires

From the beach of Lires to the beach Rostro, O Camiño dos Faros there is a stretch that will take us to see the cliffs of Lires from different perspectives. If you pay attention to the arrows and you will never have a problem. We leave by taking the route that starts on the beach and we get to the coves of Area Pequeña and Area Grande. It is at this point where the first ascent of the day starts, it is short but demanding. It will take us to a top from where we could see what we are leaving behind.

When we reach Punta da Lagoa we go across the cliff being careful as we should keep ourselves on the route. Now, it is possible to hear the noise of the waves breaking against the rocks. We stop several times because the views of Petón Vermello and Point Besugueira, with the beach Rostro on the foreground worth being admired. We have to do this route with no rush as it is a very demanding route, but it is the last one and we want to enjoy it.

From that point, just a small part along the mount till we reach the Point Besugueira, where the cliff of Mexadoira starts. A cliff we walk across in line, one behind the other and so on. Don´t leave the route to take the typical photo as some stretches fall down in vertical.

It is amazing and very difficult to describe. The cliffs down in vertical over a base of rocks that, with the sea breaking against them and the rock of red granite form an amazing landscape. At the end of the cliff, a small stream that goes down the mount falls in the “bolos” creating a small waterfall. When we reach there and we turn over ourselves, it is then when we can admire the beauty of this place without any risk. Once again, we are surrounded by a wild, unique stretch of this Camiño dos Faros, unknown by most of people.

We leave Mexadoira and, suddenly, we see the greatness of the beach Rostro. It will take us just a few minutes to reach it.

Route Mount Insua

When there are no more houses, we keep on walking to the lighthouse, a path on our right indicates the beginning of this route along the MountInsua, that will lead us to the lighthouse. We leave on our right the Ría in Corme and Laxe after some days walking along it. It´s so close and far at the same time! One of the special characteristics of this Camiño dos Faros is that we can see not only all the route we have just done but also the points still left to be reached.

Before getting to the lighthouse, we see the first cliffs in this Mount Insua.

O Camiño dos Faros is not an easy route at all…it has lots of ups and downs, which will help you to keep fit. However, what is actually true is that you are rewarded with unique and amazing views.

Along the path of the Mount Insua, we get to the lighthouse and we go on along the open sea, where we will see 2 wonders of Nature: “La Furna da Espuma” and the “Praia dos Cristais” (the beach of pieces of glass).

From Niñóns to Port of Santa Mariña

This second stage of O Camiño dos Faros starts in the beach of Niñóns that we walk across to take a path that will lead us along the coast heading the Port of Santa Maríña.

Walking along these hidden coves in the morning is another priceless moment of this route. Being aware of the danger and without leaving the route we get to “Punta do Niño do Corvo” and its beach by walking along the beach Morro.

If the sea is calm, we can see its turquoise blue water as it gets into these small coves.

And right there, The Port of Santa Mariña that we will get to not long after.

Nariga Coast

O Camiño dos Faros, after visiting Punta Nariga, runs along the coast heading to the Bay of Lago and Niñóns by taking a breathtaking path. They are small cliffs that we walk across by taking a path that is kind of demanding, whereas we are witness of how the sea hits this immense rock that is Punta Nariga.

If we see right in front of us, we have all the Roncudo skyline, that we will walk along in the next stage. After walking 2 kilometers and passing by “O Coído dos Xunquiños Gordos”, “Pedras das Caniceiras”, “Punta do Roblo”, “Coído do Cheiroso” and “Punta Anguieiro”, we reach a level ground path leading us to LagoBay.

Sisargas Canal

There are two ways to get to Beo from San Adrián. One that goes through the antennas walking along the highest part of the mount. The other one is the way known as the way of the fishermen that goes along the coast facing the SisargasIslands. It is actually the latter one, the one that we follow in our route. O Camiño dos faros will follow always the coastline when it is possible.

The way to Beo is breathtaking and not very demanding, except when we reach some parts that are close to the cliff which makes us feel a bit afraid of the height. The sea in this area hits the shoreline with strength and it is at that moment when the feeling of being involved in an adventurous experience has already wrapped us.