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England and Malta
  • Darren and Janet
  • Darren and Janet

England and Malta

Una aventura de 31 días de Darren and Janet Leer más
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  • Darren and JanetEngland and MaltaDarren and Janet
    Għasri Valley
    2Postage time, Victoria1Ta' Pinu, from the Stations of the Cross lookoutOne of the statues on the Stations of the Cross walkAmphitheatre at the peakXewkija Rotunda visible in the distanceRural Gozo, near Marsalforn2Me at the cache, Oliver at the car, near Xwejni salt pans3Lunch, Marsalforn. During Storm Harry, the sea inundated the land from near the red carMarsalforn BayMarsalforn harbour view living2Cache find in XagħraCup of tea on the deck at dusk

    North coast

    22 de enero, Malta

    Today's driving was to the north coast, but first a visit to Victoria to find a Post Office and do some shopping. The city centre was chaotic, so we decided it was easier to pay for a park at the Citadel and walk back down to the shops.

    Heading north, our first stop was The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu, 3km from Victoria, and 700 metres from the village of Għarb. It sits out amonst rural properties like the proverbial sore thumb, and was built in 1883 on the site of a small 16th century chapel, with money raised by public subscription. We also walked up the Stations of the Cross walk, 14 statues spread along a winding path up the hill opposite the church, with an amphitheatre at the summit (and a cache, of course).

    Next stop was Għasri Valley, a narrow snaking sea canyon, known for its quiet beach, which is 300 metres inland from the sea. The sea is only accessible via a narrow cove with high cliffs on both sides, and steps carved into the rocks. On a fine day it's a popular spot for swimming and diving, but it was a bit cold and rough for either today.

    We continued via some more salt pans and a few caches to Marsalforn for a late lunch. The restaurant we stopped at, on the foreshore, had water 1m up their walls during Storm Harry, and were still cleaning up the street.

    We arrived back in Xewkija in time for a cup of tea on our deck as the sun was going down.    Leer más

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  • Darren and JanetEngland and MaltaDarren and Janet
    2Ramla Bay from Ulysses Lodge
    3Ramla BayRamla Bay, Mixta Cave at the top left of the cliff behind1Ramla Bay from Mixta CaveSan Blas Bay... ready to walk the last few hundred metres3Road down to San Blas Bay...almost there!San Blas Bay, storm damage to the railing and embankmentSan Blas beach has an extra supply of stones thanks to Storm Harry2Daħlet QorrotDaħlet Qorrot caves cut into the limestone cliff1Daħlet Qorrot storm damage - the slab on the left was originally below the bottom stepDaħlet Qorrot fishermen (and woman)3Hondoq Bay. These motor homes will have fun getting out after Harry covered the road with rocksHondoq Bay, and desalination plantThe roads need plenty of work, even in the towns

    Down, down, down to the coast

    23 de enero, Malta ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Another day exploring various bays and harbours , this time in the north west of Gozo.

    The roads between the coastal towns tend to be very narrow and/or steep, so the safest way to travel around the island is to come back almost to the centre to Victoria or Nadur, before radiating out again. The main roads are definitely less stress inducing, but there's always the last little bit to negotiate!

    First stop of the day was Ramla Bay, widely considered Gozo’s, and arguably Malta’s, best beach. Known locally as "Ramla il-Ħamra" – the Red Sandy Beach, it has a number of cafes set back from the beach (all closed for winter), and, strangely, a statue of the Vigin Mary on the beach.

    We travelled back up for our second view of Ramla Bay, from the abandoned ruins of Ulysses Lodge. It was a popular wedding and events venue in the 1980s and was abandoned in the late 2000's. It offers great views of the bay (and of course, there's a cache there).

    On the other side of Ramla Bay, Mixta Cave also overlooks the bay, and is accessed down a narrow lane, so barely recognisable as a road, that the tourist guide advises to "look out for the subtle turnoff" (most things are not signposted).

    The most difficult bay to access today was San Blas Bay, which is notoriously challenging (which apparently adds to its charm and seclusion!). The journey involves navigating a steep and narrow road from Nadur, the last part closed to traffic due to its steepness, requiring visitors to walk down to the bay. This steep descent is not for the faint-hearted, but the owners of the refreshment stall at the bottom (who were cleaning up storm damage today), told us that very few of their customers come from the land, most are dropped off by boat (for those who find the walk too strenuous, a jeep service is available to transport visitors down and up the hill for a small fee during the summer months).

    Our penultimate stop was Daħlet Qorrot, a secluded pebbly cove, known for its crystal-clear waters and historic limestone boathouses carved into the cliffs by local fishermen.

    Last stop was Hondoq Bay, on the southeast coast, with views of Comino, and also home to the only desalination plant on Gozo, which allows the island to be self-sufficient in water.    Leer más

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  • Darren and JanetEngland and MaltaDarren and Janet
    Boċċi - red wins 2 shots (jack is between the red balls and green cylinder)
    Our final drive out of XewkijaATV Buggys awaiting new customers as we depart Gozo2Popeye Village3Popeye Village close-upPopeye VillageParish Church of MelliehaLike the rest of Malta, the cemetery is overcrowdedJensen's Lookout over Mellieha. Playground for the kids, bar and cafe for the adults2Love a bit of stair art, MelliehaOur hotel in the square, GhaxaqDecorated house, GhaxaqRed knocker attempting to remove the green ball (the jack is to the left of the green ball)Boċċi action

    Setters or knockers?

    24 de enero, Malta ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    It was our final night on Gozo, and after breakfast we made our way to the ferry terminal for the trip back to Malta.

    An uneventful crossing saw us in Mellieha mid morning for a walk around the upper part of town that we missed last week (in the rush to get to Gozo before the storm hit), exploring the town square and Jensen's Lookout.

    We headed out of town to Popeye Village, the set of the 1980 Popeye movie and had lunch in the cafe there.

    To reach our hotel for the night in Għaxaq (pronounced ash-a) at the eastern end of the island, we had a long drive by Maltese standards (30km). It's fair to say we had our navigational challenges, with the satnav telling us to take exits at roundabouts that didn't exist... and vice versa 😵‍💫. After we parked the car and checked in we were happy to take a walk to find a few caches.

    On our walk we came across a game of Boċċi, the Maltese form of bocce. Played on sand courts like bocce, teams use 3 coloured balls and 8 cylinders per side, to try and get their coloured balls closer to the jack (which is only marble sized). Where it differs is that players are designated as either setters (to get their coloured ball closest), or knockers (to throw the cylinders with the aim of knocking their opponents balls away).    Leer más

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  • Darren and JanetEngland and MaltaDarren and Janet
    1Luxuriously wide road between villages
    Rock formations near DelimaraIl-Ħofra ż-Żgħira BayFort Delimara, in the ditchMarsaxlokkPlanespotting platform outside Malta International AirportThe plane we spotted landing!The Xarolla Windmill at Żurrieq, the only functioning windmill in Malta2Quiet streets in Safi village

    Planes, rains and windmills

    25 de enero, Malta ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Our last full day in Malta and the rains are back. Our plan today was to head down the east coast and lunch at one of the seaside towns... but it seems everyone had the same idea, as the roads were pumping and parking was at a premium.

    We drove to the coast via some very narrow lanes (thankfully not steep as well)... so narrow that we had to fold in both mirrors to prevent them hitting the rock wall or plants on the roadside.

    We visited a number of churches and bays before the rain started, so stopped for morning tea at Marsaskala.

    Sunday was market day on the foreshore in the next town, Marsaxlokk, a fishing town with a very attractive harbour and a lot of cafes. Given that it was raining quite heavily by late morning, the market was shutting down and the cafes were full by the time we got there, so we drove through and headed further south.

    After a few stops for caches, the rain was making it quite unpleasant, so we retreated back to our hotel for late lunch and a change of clothes.

    After a delicious mushroom lasagne and with clearing skies, we headed out again, visiting the planespotting viewpoint outside the airport, then the village of Kirkop, before the rain started again... so we made the 4km journey back to Ghaxaq for the night.

    Dinner tonight was in the hotel restaurant.    Leer más

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  • Darren and JanetEngland and MaltaDarren and Janet
    Traditional Maltese fishing boats, Marsaxlokk
    Marsaxlokk foreshoreMarsaxlokk promenade, almost deserted todayMalta encompassed - British influence, enclosed balconies, and so many churchesMarsaxlokk harbourLeaving Malta you can see how close together the villages are2Our only view of Cyprus...

    Homeward bound, but first Marsaxlokk

    26 de enero, Malta ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    We had a couple of hours this morning before the hire car is due back, so we made the trip back to Marsaxlokk in the hope it would be less busy than yesterday. And it was chalk and cheese.

    We easily got a park on the promenade and wandered the foreshore, mostly among souvenir sellers today. The bay is still an active fishing harbour and much of the activity was on the water. The name Marsaxlokk comes from the Arabic word marsa, which means port and xlokk, which is the Maltese word for south-east.

    We drove back to the airport, dropped off the hire car unscathed (phew!), and got ready for our flight home via Larnaca, Cyprus (1.5 hours for refuelling and passenger drop-off and pick-up) and Dubai.

    Kilometres travelled in Malta = 372 (average 23km a day)

    Caches found in UK and Malta = 542    Leer más

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    Fin del viaje
    27 de enero de 2026