Name and Location

The Faro de Louro (Punta Queixal Lighthouse) is a minor coastal lighthouse situated on the headland of Punta Queixal at the eastern end of Monte Louro, overlooking the ria of Muros and Noia in the province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. The coordinates are 42°44′21.4″ N, 9°04′43.4″ W (42.7392861, –9.0787249).

2. Construction and History

The construction date is not recorded in official sources consulted. No precise year of establishment is currently documented. The lighthouse serves local navigation by marking a rocky promontory on this rugged Atlantic shoreline.

3. Architecture and Materials

The Faro de Louro is an unpainted masonry tower attached to a single-storey service building, likely made of local granite (common in Galician lighthouses). The height is 27 meters above mean sea level, with the focal plane at this elevation. The architectural style is functional utilitarian, typical of 20th-century Spanish minor lights.

4. Light and Navigation

The light pattern is a group of 2 + 1 white flashes every 12 seconds (Fl (2 + 1) W 12s). The sequence details are flash (0.5 s), eclipse (1.5 s), flash (0.5 s), eclipse (4.5 s), flash (0.5 s), eclipse (4.5 s). The color is white, and the range is 9 nautical miles.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse is unstaffed and not formally open to the public. The tower is fenced off but visible from the headland path. Public access is limited; however, visitors can reach the site by local roads from the town of Muros and then a 1–2 km footpath across Monte Louro heathland to Punta Queixal.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The surrounding landscape features windswept heath and granite outcrops, with Atlantic panoramas over the ria and offshore islets. The site is popular for sunrise and sunset photography, birdwatching, and coastal panoramas.

7. Further Information

There are no notable anecdotes or folklore associated with the Faro de Louro.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is fully automated and has no resident keepers. It serves as a sector light on nautical charts; there are no known AIS or radar installations on site. The managing authority is the Autoridad Portuaria de A Coruña, which likely operates local minor lights under Spain’s Dirección General de la Marina Mercante.

9. Further Information

For further information, please refer to US NGA Publication 113: “List of Lights, Radio Aids and Fog Signals—Atlantic Coast of Europe,” 2011, OpenStreetMap (way/152253773), and Wikidata (Q12388282).