Thursday 26th January 2017
Flight 07.45 EZY1995 Manchester Terminal 13.00 to Malta and arrived at 12.10. Outside the airport I boarded bus X2 for 1.50€ at 13.00, arriving at Sliema ferry at 14.00 and walked along the front to Plaza Regency Hotel, arriving at 15.00. out again at 15.45 and walked along to St Julian’s then the other way for the 16.30 ferry across to Valetta (1.50€). I walked the town streets to Elmo Fort then back along Republic Avenue to the grand Masters Palace where a motorcade was approaching. Perhaps it was a pre-event of the EU leaders meetings next week. Just after dark I returned to Sliema on the 18.00 ferry and back to Sliema, walking back along the front to the hotel at 18.45 then along to St Julian’s to find somewhere to eat and returned to the hotel at 20.00
Friday 27th January 2017
Met with the rep from Jack the Cyclist at 09.00 at the hotel as arranged, perfectly on time. Jack’s Serbian mechanic delivered the bike then drove me back to the bike shop in San Gwann so I could avoid the traffic through Sliema and St Julian’s. Starting off from the shop at 09.30 I made my way to Naxxar. There I went along to Hilltop Gardens expecting a view and a gardens but there was neither – just a retirement complex. At least there was an old windmill to look at. From there back to the large church in the town then steeply down and on to Mosta with its large domed church. From here I took the road for Rabat and passed to the left of Mdina perched on the hill. The road here is lined with cactus plants. Heading off to the right shortly I entered Rabat and took an acute right turn for Mdina at Howard Gardens. I rode through the Greek Gate into Mdina’s narrow streets. The walls, streets and sandstone buildings are very clean. I took photos of the buildings, towered churches and viewpoints from the small city’s battlements. Back into Rabat through the main gate, passing the tourists at the horses and carriages then a right turn and downhill for the road to Dingli. A photo of the large church here then followed the signs for Dingli Cliffs and stopped at a restaurant to freshen up on the coast road. Shortly after this I was stopped by an Italian cyclist who asked for directions but then decided to join me for the afternoon. Together we explored three bays and three great road climbs. His name is Alessandro and comes from Florence originally. He goes home occasionally but also has his summers in New York with his American wife and children and some weeks in Malta during the winter months. He works on construction sites. I told him where I wanted to cycle and he would join me. We decided to take the tracks following the coast, heading for Migra Fehra. It was 13.00 at this point and we asked another cyclist coming from the other direction, then a farmer we met at the start of the track. We could see where the track was going but not sure if we could cycle it and disturbed the peace for an older couple eating their picnic at Matneib but the farmer assured us that the cliff path was cycleable. It was, and once we reached the bay there’s a fantastic view of white rocky chambers or caves at the waterline. Most of the route up on the track is rideable and we eventually reached the stony car park at Migra Ferha.
BIG 996 Tal Merhla The climb took 40 minutes. It was a great introduction to the eventual climb by approaching it over cliffs tracks from the Dingli road to the east. There’s nothing at the top to mark the top of the climb, only an open road looking over a rough grassy area towards Dingli church. My companion Alessandro recorded a 18% gradient half way up on his GPS. The start at Migra Ferha is a rough gravel car park.
From here we cycled to Bahrija via St Martin’s passing a wildlife park along the narrow pot holed roads. He introduced me to one of his favourite climbs so we plummeted down to Fammir Rih Bay then struggled back up. He was hoping to find a rideable track off to the right from the bay but locals had blocked the route with felled branches. The climb up from the bay is steeper nearer the top at 18%. Back at Bahrija at 14.00 where he went to shop for water and I went back down again to take photos. He waited at the top then we cycled on for Mgarr. On the way we freewheeled down to Griejna Bay then back up and a 21% gradient nearer the top then on to Mgarr at 15.30 where he left his car and our parting of the ways. I told him of the Cycling BIG club and my name. he would check out the website and look me up on Facebook. I continued on alone to Zebbiah and took a look at the ancient Skorba Temple then downhill, passing to the right of old Roman baths to reach Mankata then further slightly downhill all the way along Pwales (Paul’s) Valley to St Paul’s Bay. I by-passed Bugibba then took the cyclepath back along the coast. There’s a long drag uphill after the splashpark but rewarded with a long downhill from the top down into St Julian’s, past Mater Dei and across to Sliema ferry and The Point area then the coast road along Sliema front back to my hotel at 17.30. I ate at the hotel this evening, the meal was €11.00.
Saturday 28th January 2017
Another fantastic day around the island to Dingli Cliffs, this time traversing the island heading east then south and finally west to reach the cliffs and the top of the second major climb before returning inland and through the centre back to Sliema. I cycled along the estuary to Valetta main gate at Floriana where the flags, war memorial and Triton Fountain is situated. From there on to Paolo following the Grand Harbour route to Tarxian to see the old remains there and on through Zabbar and escaped the heavy traffic on a quieter road to the east coast at Marsascala. I had a short rest then followed the coast past St Thomas’ Tower and an impressive huge wall painting of Gollum, Lord of the Rings character on a unfinished hotel wall. Now on small quiet roads, past a small gated chapel named St Paul then a pot-holed road into Marsaxlokk with its long open fishing harbour. December 1989 in the middle of a wild winter storm, US President George Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachov held their groundbreaking end of the cold war Malta Summit here on board Soviet cruise ship SS Maxim Gorky. It’s a long front here and a line of interesting buildings then up steeply and down again over the headland to Birzbuga.
I took the wrong way at first and had to turn right around and head south following the waterfront then inland along a narrow pot holed lane heading uphill to Hal Far then off to the right to reach a roundabout then to the left and another pot holed narrow lane to Zurrieq. I took a photo of the windmill in the town then followed the signs for Blue Grotto.
It’s a steep downhill from Zurrieq for the couple of miles to the pounding waves on the rocks where people were waiting for the boat to take them to the open caves through which the water flowed, a tall grotto of white cliffs falling straight into the water.
There’s cafes at the bottom of the road but didn’t want to stop here as the best bit of today’s tour was yet to come. Back to the top of the steep road then took a left before reaching Zurrieq for the scenic road following the cliff tops with the sea way down below. Shortly after I reached Hagar Qim off to the left.
It’s now covered with a protective large tarpaulin. From here on to Ghar Lapsi, steeply downhill from a road junction. I remember some fast horse and carts going along this road. At the road junction I was halfway along the route of my second climb Ta’Dmejrek BIG 997. I took a left, past a cement works and down the road to the coast at 14.00, Ghar Lapsi and its two cafes. The one on the waterfront is a bit more upmarket. The bottom part of the road to the coast is split into a one way system. It took me an hour to reach the radar globe at Ta Fuq il Fulija, Il-Fawwara after going too far into Siggiwie and turning back to Providanza for the correct road to Gebel Ciantar and back to the cliff road heading for Dingli Cliffs. After Annunciation church the road ends at a track where I pushed the bike up a short way over the area of a Bronze Age settlement to reach the road at Zula. I asked three German girls the way ‘Zum den hoch strasse?’ On along the road to the top of the BIG after 1.1/2 hours (15.30). Back through Dingli at 16.00 then mainly down as I headed inland back to Sliema and my hotel, back through Rabat, Mosta, Birkirkara and Gzira and to Sliema ferry, past The Point and along the waterfront to the hotel. A meal this evening at my hotel. The bike was collected by the big Serbian mechanic at 19.00
Sunday 29th January 2017
I had a lie in this morning – until 09.00. After breakfast I took a stroll along the waterfront to the Sliema ferry and had a walk around Valetta. After about an hour I walked to the bus station at Triton Fountain area and boarded an open top Highlights of Malta bus. Malta boasts over 7000 years of history and is brimming with attractions and places of interest. City Sightseeing Malta gives you a flavour of these unique islands. Hop on Hop off stops are located along the Valletta and North Tour and South Tour enable you to experience key sights including the Mosta Church and Dome; Ta'Qali Craft Village; Rabat with many Roman Sites such as the restored Roman Villa and St Agatha's Catacombs and the medieval town of Mdina. City Sightseeing Malta enables you to explore the islands, plan your stay and offers numerous photo opportunities of panoramic views from the top of a Double-decker bus.
Monday 30th January 2017
EZY1998 flight home to Manchester wasn’t due to depart until 12.50 but I wanted to be certain of arriving there in good time as the roads in Malta are very busy. The distance by road that bus X2 takes is about 10 miles but it took an hour and half to reach the airport.