Camarinas on the Coast of Death

The Story of the "Serpent"

Aug 29, 2009 Inka Piegsa-Quischotte

Camarinas in Galicia, the northern province of Spain, is famous for a tragic ship wreck as well as the beautiful lace that´s made there.

Camarinas is situated right in the middle of the Costa de la Muerte, the Coast of Death on the Atlantic Ocean. Sadly, the name is very apt, considering the ship wreck of the "Serpent" which occurred in 1890. And it´s only one of many. As tragedy and beauty so often lie side by side in Galicia, this is also true for Camarinas which is the lace making center of Galicia.

The Story of the "Serpent"

In 1890, an English ship, carrying 300 naval cadets, set out on her voyage to Spain. Reaching the coast of Galicia in a raging storm at night, it appears that the - at the time - manually operated lighthouse of Cabo Vilan mislead the sailors. The "Serpent" crashed on the treacherous rocks half submerged under the towering waves and 298 of the cadets lost their lives.

Only two managed to survive and to struggle on dry land. The story goes that exhausted, drenched and frightened to death, they finally reached the lighted cottage of a local fisherman, who gave them shelter, dry clothes and his home made bread, baked under hot ashes. Because of the two survivors, it was known how the shipwreck supposedly happened.

The bodies of the cadets were eventually washed ashore and are buried in what´s today known as the English Cemetery of Camarinas, a memorial which should not be missed on a visit to the region.

After the ship wreck, the lighthouse fire was replaced by an electric one to avoid further failure. Oddly, the ship´s barometer was also recovered and is today embedded in the wall of a house on the seafront of town. It´s even sign posted and can easily be visited.

Sand Dunes and Lace Making in Camarinas

Happily, it's not all tragedy in this pretty coastal town. On the way to the lighthouse and the English Cemetery, the visitor can also admire and enjoy Monte Blanco, the largest sand dune in Europe.

But Camarinas is most well known as the lace making center of Galicia. Alongside the sea front, there are at least two shops which not only sell lace and many articles adorned with lace, but also have girls inside, who actually weave the lace on old fashioned hand looms which rest in their laps. They work with lightening speed and hardly look at their patterns at all.

A hunched over lace maker is depicted in a statue in the park near the Town Hall and next to it is the lace making museum. The museum houses old lace and everything connected with the craft and its history. On the ground floor, beautiful evening gowns, etched with hand made lace are on display. They are the creations of modern day Spanish designers making use of the local craft. It´s well worth a visit, but it should be observed that the museum keeps "siesta" hours and is closed between 2 and 5pm.

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