In the cooler months Malta offers some great walking opportunities. After the first autumn rains the land discards its dust brown summer mantle and replaces it by a lush green cover. The weather becomes pleasantly cooler too. With the exception of Sunday afternoons when half of Malta apparently does its Sunday driving along its country roads, the area stretching west from Rabat to Mgarr is a quiet, sleepy one and ripe for discovery at a slow pace…
The road from Rabat to Mgarr is just short of 10 kilometres long and can easily be covered in less than three hours. Starting from the Rabat bus terminus, take the road that goes past the Roman Domus and skirts the edge of the town, overlooking the township of Mtarfa across the pleasant Hemsija valley. Past the large roundabout on the outskirts of Rabat, keep going straight (road signposted to Bahrija, Mtahleb) and soon the last buildings are behind you. Another ten minutes on the road splits into two. Take the right turn (signposted Tas-Salib). A hundred metres further the road forks again with no signposts this time. Take the right turn which will take you across the Qlejgha Valley via a stone bridge. There is normally running water here and the valley forms part of one of the largest valley systems in the island. From the bridge there’s a steep 10 minute ascent past the disused rural chapel of Tas-Salib until you reach the top of the hill, going past the tiny hamlet that goes by the same name; while to your right there are views across to the rounded hilltop of Il-Qolla, a Bronze Age village site.
At the top of the hill there’s a crossroads, again not signposted. Take the immediate road to the left. You are now on the Dwejra Ridge, one of a series of such high ridges that characterise the northwest of the island. It’s a lovely country road with wild garigue on both sides and small copses of old carob trees here and there. Soon you pass a very fine example of a girna, the traditional rounded stone hut built without the use of mortar. At the top of the road is the Nadur Tower which dates back to 1637. Though small in size this tower occupies one of the highest points on the island – roughly 800 feet above sea level. It commands scenic 360 degree views and is also a spot favoured by bird watchers in early morning or late afternoons during the spring and autumn migration, when substantial numbers of birds of prey can be spotted.
Ghemieri Palace
The road continues its meandering way with views of the privately owned Ghemieri Palace to your left; a low, red painted building with its own private chapel set amidst a mature grove. Further on a few houses mark the hamlet of Ghemieri – take the road to the right and in a couple of minutes you are at another unmarked junction. Make a right turn and you are on the Tas-Santi Road.
The road is now pleasantly downhill as far as Mgarr but more than that this is arguably Malta’s most scenic road. It’s a three kilometre stretch, initially with the deep and lush Santi Valley to your left while the low slung Fort Bingemma sits on the ridge to your right. Fort Bingemma was an essential part of the Victoria Lines, a line of fortifications built by the British in the late nineteenth century to guard the costal harbour towns from possible invasion via the vulnerable northern coast of the island. The fort guards one of the few natural access points along the Dwejra Ridge. The views along the road stretch as far as the bays of Ghajn Tuffieha and Golden Sands, while in the distance the steep white face of the Ta Cenc cliffs on Gozo can be made out on all but the haziest of days.
The road is now pleasantly downhill as far as Mgarr but more than that this is arguably Malta’s most scenic road. It’s a three kilometre stretch, initially with the deep and lush Santi Valley to your left while the low slung Fort Bingemma sits on the ridge to your right. Fort Bingemma was an essential part of the Victoria Lines, a line of fortifications built by the British in the late nineteenth century to guard the costal harbour towns from possible invasion via the vulnerable northern coast of the island. The fort guards one of the few natural access points along the Dwejra Ridge. The views along the road stretch as far as the bays of Ghajn Tuffieha and Golden Sands, while in the distance the steep white face of the Ta Cenc cliffs on Gozo can be made out on all but the haziest of days.
Vineyards on the Tas-Santi Road
Midway through the road is the sleepy hamlet of Tas-Santi and beyond it stretch vineyards and fertile fields. Some of the fields here are dedicated to growing strawberries – a commodity the village of Mgarr has become well-known for. Mgarr in fact hosts a hugely popular Strawberry Festival in spring.
The Tas-Santi road ends on the outskirts of Mgarr where a right turn, mercifully signposted, gets you to the village in about twenty minutes. On the way there is a curious battlemented residence that goes by the name of Castello Zammitello, an old structure with origins dating back to the seventeenth century and now a favoured venue for wedding receptions. Mgarr itself is another quiet village and a closely knit farming community fanned around its oval domed church. There’s a variety of eating and drinking places around the village square and it’s a good place for a well-earned rest and some interesting people-watching.
This walk is not a circular route and therefore best made by public transport. Rabat and Mgarr are served by frequent services from both Valletta and Sliema.
The Tas-Santi road ends on the outskirts of Mgarr where a right turn, mercifully signposted, gets you to the village in about twenty minutes. On the way there is a curious battlemented residence that goes by the name of Castello Zammitello, an old structure with origins dating back to the seventeenth century and now a favoured venue for wedding receptions. Mgarr itself is another quiet village and a closely knit farming community fanned around its oval domed church. There’s a variety of eating and drinking places around the village square and it’s a good place for a well-earned rest and some interesting people-watching.
This walk is not a circular route and therefore best made by public transport. Rabat and Mgarr are served by frequent services from both Valletta and Sliema.
The stupendous view from the Tas-Santi road
This article was first published in the February 2015 issue of Il-Bizzilla - the Air Malta inflight magazine
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