A scenic road to Faro de Cabo Vilán lighthouse

Cabo Vilán lighthouse is located on the west coast of Galicia, in the Costa da Morte of northwestern Spain. The wind is intense.

Faro de Cabo Vilán

The journey offers an exhilarating driving experience, with superb views. The road to the lighthouse is a rugged track following the coastline exposed directly to the Atlantic Ocean, with some concrete sections. It’s located on the most dangerous section of the Costa da Morte. The area received its name because there have been so many shipwrecks along its treacherous rocky shore. 

The lighthouse sits at at 125 meters altitude. Built in 1896, it is the oldest electric lighthouse in the country.Before this electric light there was a coal fired lighthouse since 1858. Due to the exposure, the road is subject to strong winds and rapid weather changes. High winds blow here all year long. This is definitely one road trip that you want to record with lots of photographs. The drive offers striking views of the lighthouse and the coast.

Your wheels will be astounded at the wonderful view of the coasts spread out before you! It’s a mind numbing vertical drop of hundreds of meters so you might want to give it a miss on a windy day. Driving at night, or in poor visibility, is not recommended for drivers unfamiliar with the road. The journey offers striking views of the lighthouse and the coast. A few kilometers away, following the shoreline, is the famous Cementerio de los Ingleses. The cemetery was uilt to bury 172 English sailors who washed ashore after a dangerous storm. Only 3 men survived the 19th century shipwreck. This track can get very muddy and slippery after rain.

 

Drive Us to Your Road!

With over 13,000 roads cataloged, we're always on the lookout for unique routes. Know of a road that deserves to be featured? Click here to share your suggestion, and we may add it to dangerousroads.org.