El Ferrol Attractions

From Pontedeume the road continues north, passing the seaside resort of Cabañas, to El Ferrol, an industrial town noted particularly for its shipyards and Spain's principal naval base on the Atlantic. Around the commercial harbor is the old town with it's narrow winding streets; the new town, laid out on a regular plan, is a typical example of the town planning of the 18th century, when Ferdinand VI and Charles III developed the town as a naval base and built massive fortifications and the Arsenal on the seaward side. El Ferrol was the birthplace of General Franco, and until a few years ago bore the honorific style of El Ferrol del Caudillo. The entrance to the harbor is defended by forts on either side of the river mouth a few kilometers from the town.