Name and Location

The Cabo Vilán Lighthouse, also known as Faro de cabo Villano in Spanish, stands at the precipitous tip of the Costa da Morte (“Coast of Death”) in Galicia, north-western Spain. The official name is Faro do Cabo Vilán, and it is sometimes referred to simply as “El Faro de Vilán.” The lighthouse is located on Estrada Sen Nome (unnamed road), Mourín, 15123 Camariñas, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, with coordinates 43°09′37″ N, 9°12′41″ W.

2. Construction and History

The Cabo Vilán Lighthouse was commissioned under the Spanish “Ley de Faros” of 1864 and was first lit on October 15, 1896. The project was executed in the early 1890s by the Corps of Lighthouse Engineers of the Spanish Ministry of Public Works. The lighthouse was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Historic Heritage Site) by the Xunta de Galicia in 2001.

3. Architecture and Materials

The Cabo Vilán Lighthouse features a cylindrical stone tower, painted white, rising from a one-storey keeper’s dwelling also of granite masonry. The tower is 25 metres high above the base and has a focal plane approximately 125 metres above mean sea level. The materials used are locally quarried granite for walls and cast-iron lantern room.

4. Light and Navigation

The original lens was a second-order Fresnel lens (manufacturer: Henry-Lepaute, France), but it was replaced with sealed-beam electric optics. The characteristic of the light is Fl(3) W 15 s (three white flashes every 15 seconds), and its nominal range is 20 nautical miles (approximately 37 km).

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The Cabo Vilán Lighthouse is open to visitors year-round, except for December 25 and January 1. The hours of operation are daily from 10:00 to 18:00 h (shorter winter schedule). Entrance fees apply, including guided tours. Access is via a paved road from Camariñas (CA-550), with free parking at the cape; moderate 300-metre walk from the parking lot.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse offers a panoramic view of granite cliffs, open Atlantic, nearby cable-station ruins, and shipwreck remains. The surrounding landscape features maritime heath, sea-bird colonies (cormorants, shags), and occasional whales offshore.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Costa da Morte is famed for wrecks – over 600 recorded – due to fog, currents, and hidden reefs. Local legend speaks of “ghost lights” in the mist; the lighthouse was built in part to quell these tales. Notable wreck: British steamship S.S. Téstigo (1909) foundered nearby; survivors attributed rescue to the new light.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse has been fully automated since 1985, remotely monitored by Autoridad Portuaria de Ferrol – San Cibrao. The original lens was replaced with sealed-beam electric optics. Radar reflector and AIS transponder are installed as secondary aids (no active radar beacon). Nautical chart references include Spanish Hydrographic Office chart N° 122 (Costa da Morte – Cabo Vilan).

9. Further Information

Further reading: Wikipedia (Spanish) – https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faro_de_cabo_Villano; Wikidata – Q12268890; Turismocamarinas.net official page – https://turismocamarinas.net/que-hacer/faro-vilan-2/.