Camiño dos Faros: stages from Laxe

The Camiño dos Faros is a hiking trail that follows the Costa da Morte along the edge of the Atlantic, from Malpica to Fisterra. It covers around 200 km in 8 stages, and Laxe sits right at its centre: one stage ends here and another of the most spectacular begins. This guide, written from Casa do Rancho (in the hamlet of O Canle, Laxe), tells you which stages leave the village and what you will see on each.

What is the Camiño dos Faros?

It is a coastal, non-religious path created in 2013 by a group of volunteers to link the lighthouses of the Costa da Morte on foot. Unlike the Camino de Santiago, there is no cathedral at the end: you walk always within sight of the sea, along cliffs, wild beaches, dunes and fishing villages. It is waymarked with green arrows and dots (not yellow) and can be walked in either direction, though most people go from Malpica towards Fisterra.

How many stages does it have, and which pass through Laxe?

There are 8 official stages. Laxe is the end of stage 3 and the start of stage 4, making it a perfect base for walking both sections without changing accommodation:

Stage	Route	Approx. distance
1	Malpica – Niñóns	20 km
2	Niñóns – Ponteceso	25 km
3	Ponteceso – Laxe	25 km
4	Laxe – Arou	20 km
5	Arou – Camariñas	15 km
6	Camariñas – Muxía	32 km
7	Muxía – Nemiña	21 km
8	Nemiña – Fisterra	22 km

Distances are approximate and vary with the variants you take; the whole trail comes to around 200 km.

Stage 3: what is the Ponteceso – Laxe section like?

This is the stage that finishes at home. It starts in Ponteceso, at the mouth of the river Anllóns, and follows the Corme e Laxe estuary, passing quiet beaches and the area around Corme, land of the goose-barnacle harvesters. It is a comfortable section for the most part, with a happy ending: the arrival at the great beach of Laxe, white sand and almost a kilometre and a half long.

If you walk it in reverse (Laxe → Ponteceso) you have the advantage of finishing near the car or return transport. Either way, it is a good first taste of the trail before the star stage.

Stage 4: what do you see walking from Laxe to Arou?

Stage 4 (Laxe – Arou, ~20 km) is, for many, the most beautiful of the entire Camiño dos Faros. It leaves Laxe beach, climbs to Laxe lighthouse (Punta Insua) —home of the A Espera sculpture— and strings together some of the wildest scenery on the coast:

• Praia de Soesto: an open, windy beach, a Galician surfing classic.
• Praia de Traba: a huge unspoilt beach backed by dunes and a lagoon.
• Os Penedos de Pasarela e Traba: whimsical granite formations, wind-sculpted, one of the most famous geological spots in the area.
• The final descent towards Camelle and Arou, two fishing hamlets.

It is a demanding stage because of the terrain and the ups and downs, but it can be broken into shorter sections: for example, walk only from Laxe to Soesto and Traba, enjoy the beaches and turn back. At Traba lagoon a wooden boardwalk makes the crossing easier.

If you prefer gentler walks, our guide to things to do in Laxe has short strolls around the village, and the guide to the best beaches near Laxe covers Soesto and Traba, which you will walk on this stage.

What do you need to walk the Camiño dos Faros?

This is real hiking, not a town stroll. Keep in mind:

• Hiking shoes and a windproof layer: weather changes fast on the coast.
• Water and food: there can be many kilometres between villages with no services.
• The track downloaded on your phone: the green waymarking is good, but there are junctions.
• Care with cliffs and tides on the beach and rock sections.

Basing yourself in Laxe means you sleep in the same village and can do stages 3 and 4 on different days, returning to the same house. To round off the trip by car, take a look at the 3-day Costa da Morte itinerary.

Tip: for stage 4, leave a car in Arou or Camelle, or arrange a return taxi; that way you avoid retracing the 20 km at the end of the day.

Based in Laxe, the Camiño dos Faros stops being an impossible 200 km idea and becomes very manageable: two great stages on your doorstep and the rest of the Costa da Morte a short drive away.