Cape Prioriño

Our route continues to the next place of interest. At O Confurco, we turn left towards the exterior port and we arrive at CAPE PRIORIÑO.

This cape is watched over by the Prioriño Chico lighthouse which has been guiding sailors into the Ferrol estuary since 1854. Until 2001, the only other constructions nearby were the two 18th century military batteries which were used to defend Ferrol´s military arsenal, a main base for the logistics support of the Spanish Armada war ships in the Bay of Biscay.

At the cape we find the Cape Prioriño visitors centre which offers a permanent exhibition about the evolution of the surroundings, the defensive batteries and the expansion of Ferrol´s port. Some wooden steps lead us to a lower platform where we can see a large hole excavated into the rock. This is where the oven to heat the cannonballs was located.

Just a few steps further on, we find another battery which is known as Castelo das Viñas. It was created in 1739 and is noteworthy for its historical and symbolic value. It was relocated here from its original setting under what is now the exterior port. The port has recovered the entire old fort which existed in the area and which had been dismantled in 1994. It has been rebuilt piece by piece in its current setting. It is now possible to see the original structure of the building which housed some small quarters, a powder keg and the “red cannonball” - the place where cannonballs were heated before being fired. Without a doubt this region of the Atlantic Ocean has always been a paradise for sea birds and species and the bird watching observatory is an ideal spot to contemplate the sinuous geography of the land that sticks out into the sea. On clear days you can see A Coruña.