Cedeira, San Andrés de Teixido and Cape Ortegal

Cedeira opens onto the Atlantic on the Ártabra coast of A Coruña and belongs to the Ferrol district. The town has more than 7,500 residents and blends a fishing past with urban beaches and protected landscapes.

Walk up to Concepción Castle, an eighteenth-century fortress that guarded the estuary with fifteen cannons, and visit the parish church of the Blessed Virgin of the Sea with Gothic and Renaissance features. Round off the stroll with goose barnacles, mussels or mako shark by the docks.

If you are chasing a quiet swim, head to Sonreiras cove, a sheltered inlet between pine groves and dunes with sweeping ocean views.

Galician folklore warns: whoever does not visit San Andrés de Teixido while alive will return as a small creature. Respect every insect on the path and embrace the mystical atmosphere of the shrine.

The current church was built in the sixteenth century and enlarged later on. It features Gothic details and a Baroque altarpiece from 1665; the Neoclassical façade we see today was designed by Miguel López da Peña in 1781.

Stroll through the hamlet, pick up ceramic sanandresiños or cornbread and take in the coastline from the nearby lookouts.

The Serra da Capelada rises to 615 metres at Vixía de Herbeira, one of the tallest sea cliffs in continental Europe. Lush meadows tumble straight into the open Atlantic.

The nineteenth-century Garita de Herbeira lookout (1805) still crowns the summit. From here you can see Cape Ortegal to the west and the coves surrounding the sanctuary.

Cape Ortegal is the second northernmost headland in mainland Spain. The lighthouse looks out to the Aguillóns, three granite stacks that endure the Atlantic swells.

The cape forms part of the UNESCO geopark and displays some of the planet's most ancient rocks. Follow the wooden walkway to the beacon and enjoy the Cantabrian horizon.

The dramatic Loiba cliffs have featured in adverts and films. The jagged slate and schist outcrops of Os Picóns carve echoing caves sculpted by the surf.

From the famed Loiba bench —often cited as the most beautiful bench in the world— the view stretches across the beach, Pena Furada arch and Cape Ortegal in the distance. Nearby, in O Vicedo, the Caolín beach hides turquoise waters and pale sand.

This is where the route ends. You still have 156 km of motorway back to Santiago via the Cantabrian Highway before joining the A-6 and AP-9.