Drive south and west from Ortegal, back through the Galician interior and out toward the Costa da Morte — the Coast of Death, named not for drama but for the number of ships it has claimed over the centuries.

Cabo Vilán sits on this coast and it earns its location. The lighthouse here is one of the most visually striking on the entire northern route — a white tower on a narrow peninsula of rock, surrounded by the Atlantic on three sides, with a wind turbine farm on the hills behind it that somehow adds to the atmosphere rather than breaking it.

The lighthouse is operational and the surrounding area has a small interpretation center about the coast's maritime history and its shipwrecks. Worth a brief visit before you walk out to the cape itself.

The walk to the very tip of the headland takes about twenty minutes from the parking area. The views back toward the lighthouse from the edge are the ones worth stopping for.

Practical note: the Costa da Morte lives up to its name in terms of wind. A jacket is not optional here regardless of the season.