Northwest of Bermeo, Cabo Matxitxako is the northernmost point of the Basque coast — a double lighthouse headland where the land ends in a series of low cliffs above deep water.

There are two lighthouses here, which is unusual enough to be worth noting. The older one is disused. The newer one, built in the early twentieth century, is still operational. The headland between them has a short walking path above the cliffs that gives views back along the Basque coast toward Gaztelugatxe — the sea stack you climbed yesterday visible in the distance on a clear day, the causeway a thin line connecting rock to land.

Standing here with Gaztelugatxe behind you and the open Atlantic ahead, the full shape of the Basque coast becomes visible for the first time. You have been inside it all week. This is the moment you see it whole.