Malta

I was looking for somewhere reasonably warm to go walking in early January and was thinking about the Canaries, where I had been in 2014. But the flights seemed expensive and I could not find a duration that suited me. So, I considered Malta. Not a classic walking destination, certainly, and the weather was unlikely to be up to Gran Canaria 2014 standards, but I knew the history would be interesting and that the island would be easy to get around by public bus. For this latter reason and because the island is small, I decided to base myself in the capital Valletta and to do a couple of day walks, assisted by the local bus network.

Costs. Flight £87. Car parking £14. Valletta hotel (B&B) €33.80 per night. Valletta–Airport bus €1.30 each way. Day bus ticket €1.50. Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples €10.00. Evening meal with beer €14–€22. Typical pint of beer €3.00. Total cost of trip £265.

Places I stayed and was happy with. Osborne Hotel, Valletta (Days 1–3, Read my review).

Books. Walking in Malta by Paddy Dillon (Cicerone, 3rd revised edition).

Day 1: Travel to Malta; explore Valletta. Woke at 4 am, left house at 4.35 am, and drove to Edinburgh Airport, arriving 5.30 am. Plane departed 7.00 am and arrived in Malta at 11.30 am (local time). Caught bus into Valletta, arriving 12.30 pm. Explored city and then checked into my excellent hotel (pre-booked) at 3.15 pm. Rested and then later went out for dinner.

Day 2: Walk from Zurrieq to Dingli. Had breakfast and left hotel at 8.35 am. Caught 8.54 am bus (no. 71) to Zurrieq. Started walking at 9.30 am, following Walk 5 from Walking in Malta (see Books). Reached the coast at the Blue Grotto and then continued west to reach the interesting neolithic “temples” of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, which I paid to look around. Continued along Walk 5 to reach Ghar Lapsi at 12.30 pm where I stopped to drink a coke (many brands available) for 20 min in the, by now, warm sunshine. My route turned inland for a bit but then, before reaching Siggiewi, I joined Walk 6 in Walking in Malta and continued along the coast. I reached Dingli at 3.10 pm (so 5 h 40 min walking) and caught the 3.26 pm bus (no. 52) back to Valletta, arriving 4.10 pm. Went back to the hotel for a bit and then out for some dinner.

Day 3: Walk around Marfa. Woke late and caught 9.35 am bus (no. 42) to Ghadira, arriving 10.55 am. Looked round nature reserve but nothing there, apart from a pair of tired looking flamingos. Headed west around Marfa headland, following Walk 10 from Walking in Malta (see Books). Day was windy and grey, although not cold. Reached Armier Bay at 1.15 pm for coke (many brands available – have I done that joke before?) and a flapjack. Continued round headland, enjoying some views of Comino and Gozo, and arrived back at Ghadira bus stop at 3.10 pm (so 4 h 15 min walking). Caught the 3.15 pm bus (no. 42 again), reaching Valletta at 4.25 pm. Back to the hotel for a rest and then out for some dinner.

Day 4: Explore Valletta some more; travel home. Left hotel at 9.40 am and walked around the part of the Valletta seafront that I had missed out on Day 1. Then caught 10.20 am bus to airport, arriving 10.45 am. Flight departed 12.25 pm and arrived back in Edinburgh at 3 pm (local time). Arrived home, via supermarket, at 6.10 pm.

Wildlife seen. Moorish Gecko.

Other useful links. Malta Public Transport

Walks from VisitMalta

Reflections. An interesting and inexpensive short trip. I think that if I were to go again (which I might) I would go in the Spring (flowers!) and maybe do a day or two of history stuff on Malta itself before heading off for two or three days walking on Gozo, which is supposed to be quieter and more scenic. For my January trip, the weather was nice on Day 2 but not so great on Day 3 (but still 16°C), which when combined with the rather grim beach huts around Armier Bay made that second walking day rather forgettable.

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