Cape Roca, Scenic viewpoint in Colares, Portugal.
Cape Roca is a headland in Colares, Portugal, rising 140 meters above the Atlantic and marked by steep cliffs of dark rock. Waves strike the base with force below while paths and a lighthouse shape the landscape above.
Sailors in the 14th century viewed this point as the final boundary between known land and the open ocean. Later a lighthouse was built here to help ships avoid the rough coast from 1772 onward.
The memorial stone carries verses by Luís de Camões and displays the exact geographic coordinates of this westernmost point of mainland Europe. Visitors often read the inscription as a sign that here the known world once ended and the open sea began.
Bus line 403 links Sintra and Cascais to the cape and runs this route several times daily. Wind and fog often arrive here, so warm clothing is recommended even in summer.
The lighthouse dating from 1772 sends its beam across a distance of 48 kilometers over the Atlantic, as it stands 165 meters above sea level. This reach helped ships recognize the dangerous coast in time from early on.
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