Finisterre and the Coast of Death

Because of its historical and geographical significance, the journey to Finisterre is essential for anyone visiting Galicia, but it also contains a number of surprises because of the countryside and monuments in the area.

The journey begins in Santiago and passes through the historical town of Noia, running along the banks of the river until reaching the picturesque port of Muros. The route continues by the large bay and expansive sands at Carnota, the mythical Monte Pindo and the Ézaro waterfalls until joining up with the classic Costa da Morte (Coast of Death) route in Cee.

It is one of the most evocative and unusual of the coastline routes, and begins in La Coruña, where the C-550 road starts, and runs on to Finisterre, or ‘Fisterra’ as it is called in Galician. In Carballo, the main town on the route, the road branches off towards various points on the coast.

The first of these leads to the characteristically Galician fishing village of Malpica. Next comes Corme, with its memorials to the ‘percebeiros’ (daring barnacle fishers), Laxe with its extensive sands, the mythical lighthouse Vilaño de Camariñas and the pedra de abalar in Muxía (a giant swinging stone which only the innocent are able to move): just a few of the landmarks along this coastline.

Last but by no means least comes the excitement of reaching Fisterra, considered to be the westernmost point of the continent of Europe from the time of its discovery by the Romans under Décimo Junio Bruto.

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