Tag Archives: Mounts

Mount of Facho

We start our calm ascent to MountFacho all along the Camiño da Insua, an old path tucked among the rocks, whereas we laughed remembering the best and worst moments of this route.

Mount Facho is a place full of legend. In Duio a lot of archeological remains have been found, remains that can prove that the big city of Dugium where the old celtic people, the nerios, lived. They also may prove that the summit of Mount Facho had its altar of the Sun: the Ara Solis, where pagan cults were held worshipping the sun.

The legend of the city says that this city was flooded by divine punishment to remain buried under the water since then. As all the pagan places, it was also Christianized. In this case, it was Saint Guillerme, an anchorite that built there a chapel to live the days when he prayed in harmony with the Finisterrae. Nearby, some infertile couples lay on the Holy Rocks to become fertile.

Mount Facho has been also, from immemorial times, a key place for navigation. Before the lighthouse was built in 1853, some bonfires used to be lit to guide the vessels that were sailing in rough waters or just to let the other cities that some enemy raids were taken place. In the summit, we can see some remains of the tower where the fire was made and very close the Holy Rocks.

Some hundred meters out of sea, we can see the challenging resting, O Centolo. This 25-meter rock, is the one the sea hits continuously against giving shape to a perfect habit for the barnacles that live are grown there.

The last slope, with its steep and rugged hill is the great ending. But when we get to the top, we are really awarded: the first views of the Lighthouse of Fisterra, we reach by taking a route very different from the rest of the people: O Camiño dos Faros. So many kilometers to get there and a great deal of landscapes we have walked along cause a mix of feelings and emotions difficult to understand.

After all the effort, reaching the Lighthouse of Fisterra is the happiest moment in the Trasnos´s life.

 

Mount Pedrouzo

It seems incredible that in spite of the fact that we walk all this route along the coast we have to ascend up to this point, but the charm of this Camiño dos Faros may be behind these moments. In order to reach the summit of the 269-meter MountPedrouzo, we will have to ascend a hill for along 2 kilometers with a gradient of 13%.

From the Rego do Cuño, where we stop to have lunch, the route gets inland, towards a forest. And be careful at this point! If you go on along the cliffs it is impossible to reach anywhere and very dangerous.
 

Across these forests, we start ascending up MountPedrouzo, which is not very demanding, but as we have walked along so far, one feels already exhausted.

The summit of the Pedrouzo is a place we can considered to be very “trasno”, and the stones that are on that peak are the best place to gather and wait for those who are walking a bit behind. We stop for a short rest and enjoy the panoramic views of the CapeTouriñán getting into the sea.

As the rest of the stage, there is only one thing we perceive: the silence. The sounds the sea makes don´t reach this point, it is a place where people usually don´t go and just a few animals have been the witness of our walk all along the whole day. We are overwhelmed by a feeling of calm that only O Camiño dos Faros can provide you with.

Punta Buitra

From Cachelmo we descend along a very demanding path that will take us to a small track of the small beach Arnela which is in an unspoiled area.

It is a beach with a difficult access and hidden by the land and the sea, which has been sometimes used by the drug-traffickers to unload the illegal substance. When we reach the end of this track we ascend along the mount till Punta Buitra.

Punta Buitra is another prominent part in this rugged coast of Muxía, which makes you somehow walk over the ocean. We walk across the track with beautiful views of the sea that hits against the cliffs of the mountCachelmo and the beach Arnela.

When we reach the end, we get surprised this time by the cliffs of Cuño. The mount seems to fall in a kind of abrupt way, by forming some puntas the sea hits against continuously, fill them with foam. It is really sad that there isn´t a small path that goes along this side of Point Buitra till Cuño. We know that it is not an easy land to walk, but it would be an amazing route.

In order to reach Cuño, O Camiño dos Faros, ascends directly to the summit of Mount Buitra. This stretch of the stage is like this… every stop we make seemingly over the sea of Muxía worths the demanding moments when ascending.

From the dirty track, near the antenna, we start the route that will take us to the Coído de Cuño, where we are going to make a long stop that we actually deserve.

Mount Cachelmo

The Mount Cachelmo is one of the most demanding ascents in O Camiño dos Faros. It is only 750 meters but you ascend from 0 to 150, with a gradient of 23%. We are at the beginning of the stage and we suggest you taking it without no rush and rest a couple of times when you have ascended half of it, at least. Just the views and your body are enough reasons to do it.

When we get to the summit, the views are amazing. On the foreground we can see Vilán and Camariñas, with all the ría that we have already walked along in the previous stage and that we admire from this height. In front of us, Muxía, beautiful and bright surrounded by the sea. The silence is overwhelming, and you don´t know if you are admiring the landscape or if you form part of it.
 

As we were getting the first drinks and food, we were thinking how lucky we were being in our walk. It was winter, a rainy winter that every time we set off, it became a sunny winter that allowed us to enjoy much more the wonders along this Costa da Morte. And the MountCachelmo is one of them.

 

From this point, the part of the stage that is left is seems to be even more demanding. First, we will have to walk bordering the beach Arnela till we reach the Point Buitra to walk across all the mounts of Cuño till we reach Moreira and Touriñán.

But before setting off, we can’t forget the legend of this MountCachelmo, the legend of the Buserana.

Mount Soesto

From the summit we have two other awesome panoramic views. Looking towards the North, the Roncudo, and Corme on the foreground. In the forefront, the MountInsua that we have walked around till the lighthouse in Laxe, the “Playa de los Cristales” and Baleeira.

In the South, we can see the beach Soesto with the sea hitting hard, and in the foreground, the Punta Catasol, a privileged viewpoint.
 

We descend from the Rock Castro to the beach Soesto, with this feeling of freedom A Costa da Morte provides us with. This Camiño dos Faros is amazing, when you become a trasno you will agree with me for sure.
 

 

Mount Castelo in Lourido

The next stop in O Camiño dos Faros is the summit of the route, the mount of Castelo in Lourido (312 meters). We take the path that takes us from Dombate to Fontefría to get to that mount by walking across the village to start ascending to the top.

These last meters are kind of demanding but it´s worth walking them as, at the end of this route, there is one of the most amazing views in A costa da Morte. From the top we can see the estuary of Anllóns on our right, its blue color can be similar to that of the Caribbean if the light and the tide are the adequate ones.
 

Across the estuary we can see Laxe, that is the end of this 3rd stage. From this viewpoint, we have the feeling that we can grasp it.

Facha Mount

The route takes us along the mountFacha by using a broad forest track easy to walk along, something that we really thank after walking the kilometers we have already done.

When reaching the peak, the views of the Estuary are worth a stop. On the left, Corme, in front of us, Laxe and the coast of Camariñas till the MountBranco, that is the half point of O Camiño. On the right, Camana and the mouth of the river Anllóns…all the route that is left, saying amazing is not fair enough! 

From this point on, the route becomes smoother towards the beach Valarés.