The Romans thought the world ended here, which is why they called it Finis Terrae. It is not actually the westernmost point of Spain, a title that belongs to a cape a bit farther up the coast, but nobody visiting at sunset is inclined to argue. The headland of Cape Finisterre, Cabo Fisterra in Galician, pokes out into the Atlantic with a lighthouse on its tip, a stone marker for kilometre zero and a view over a sea that goes on to the horizon. For centuries, pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago have continued on foot to this point, and by tradition some burn their boots or clothes on the rocks to mark the end of the walk.
The coast around is called the Costa da Morte, the Coast of Death, because of the many ships that were wrecked here on the rocks and shoals in storms and fog. The sea can be spectacular and cruel, with big swells breaking against the granite, and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries a number of famous wrecks occurred, among them HMS Serpent in 1890, whose British sailors are buried in a cemetery near Camariñas. The Prestige oil spill of 2002 also hit this coast hard, and the people of Galicia turned out in force to clean it up.
For motorcyclists, the road to the cape is a pleasure. It winds through villages of grey granite houses, past small harbours and eucalyptus woods, with the sea appearing and disappearing, and the curves are gentle but constant. The tarmac is mostly good, though wet leaves and fog can make it slippery, and the wind on the headland is strong enough to push a bike sideways. The lighthouse, built in the nineteenth century, stands on the point, and there is a small car park with a few stalls selling souvenirs and a bar where you can have a coffee or a bocadillo.
Fisterra, the nearest town, has about five thousand people and a small harbour, with fuel, shops and restaurants serving fresh seafood. Try the percebes, the barnacles that are gathered from the surf rocks, if you are feeling bold, and a glass of Albariño. The fishing port at Corcubión and the larger town of Cee lie a few kilometres further along the coast. Come at sunset if you can, bring a jacket, and stay until the light is gone. The air smells of salt, gorse and woodsmoke.