Spain’s Cape Trafalgar – The site of a great sea battle

When Lord Nelson lay dying on the deck of HMS Victory back in 1805, he could not possibly have foreseen the scenes that would take place in the same waters two centuries later – Daring young men and women being hurled across the very same ocean where the great sea battle took place, at nail-biting speeds on surf boards and wind-assisted kite boards.

The Cabo de Trafalgar at the headline in south-west Spain in the province of Cadiz is a fantastic place for those with a penchant for extreme water sports to let off some steam, one only wonders if Horatio Nelson would have approved. Being an inspirational seafarer with a supreme grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics in the water, one can only assume that Lord Nelson would approve of such enterprising ocean exploits.

Whilst there can be a tendency for an unreasonable amount of propaganda attached to British history, in which the facts can often get distorted in order to promote our ‘everlasting greatness’, this is certainly not the case with the Battle of Trafalgar and the leadership of Admiral Lord Nelson. The Spanish and French fleets possessed some of the largest warships that the world had ever seen and they outnumbered and out-gunned the British Navy. Nelson’s crafty and original tactics won the battle and the French and Spanish were literally hammered while not a single British ship was lost.

The beaches around Cape Trafalgar are beautiful and distinctive. Lying on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, north west of the Strait of Gibraltar, the wind can whip up at Cape Trafalgar and the sea here is prone to extremely strong currents, hence why it is popular amongst those seeking some extreme sport elation.

A huge lighthouse dominates this mini-peninsula. It is whilst gazing at this prominent structure, which is 34-metres high, that the battle of Trafalgar is best imagined, as you look across the Atlantic and see the ghosts of ships and hear the shouts of men and blasts of gunpowder. A plague commemorating those who lost their lives in the battle was erected at Cape Trafalgar in 2005.

If you do find yourself in the vicinity of Cape Trafalgar, taking the time to visit this exhilarating coastal stretch will certainly make a memorable and evocative day out.