Has-Saptan Walk Thursday 13th December, 2007

A group of around sixty ramblers turned up for today’s walk, in excellent walking weather, especially considering the rainy weather that prevailed all week.

From our meeting place, il-Palazz ta’ Bettina, in Gudja, we walked to Birzebbuga and back, via a circular route. Most of the walk was through the scenic green countryside typical of this time of year.

Below are some photos from the walk.

Walk Leader: Felix

Duration: 3 hours

Walking through the green countryside

The Ippolita remains

Ramblers with the Freeport in the background

Countryside shrine

Single file

Ta Loretu Chapel - detail

Ta Loretu Chapel dressed up for the forthcoming feast

Southern Cliffs Walk 24Nov 2007

Around 30 ramblers turned up for this first restricted numbers activity for the season on what turned out to be a surprisingly warm day for the time of year. From near Gnien il-Gibjun in the Nigret neighbourhood of Zurrieq we winded our way downhill to access the point called Il-Munqar - characterised by a curious skyward-pointing beak-like rock outcrop.
This point affords arguably the most spectacular vista over the famed Blue Grotto and the adjacent Wied Babu.

A little backtracking was made here in order to get to the cliffside seaward path which we then followed all the way to Wied il-Bassasa.

This cliffside path is characterised by sweeping sea vistas and a rock terrain rich in a varied carpet of coastal flora - at its best in spring rather than in autumn.

From Wied il-Bassasa it was a steep uphill climb which tested energies and brought out the sweat on a day which saw temperatures rising to 23c. From here a succession of paths bypassing used and abandoned quarries brought us back to our start point.

A particular curiosity of this scenic and peaceful area is that around half a century back it witnessed the worst airplane crash in Maltese history.
On the 18th of February 1956 an Avro York airliner belonging to Scottish Airlines crashed here with the loss of 50 lives. There were no survivors.
There was some debate among ramblers as to the exact crash site and whether any memorial is in place in the area. None could be traced however.

Total Time : 2.5 hours with stops Walk Leader : Steven

Gardens & Fortifications Walk 14Nov07

Ramble with a difference

Usual rambles organised by the Ramblers Association seek the quiet open spaces and scenic spots out in the countryside. Not on Wednesday 14th November when RAM showed its members that even urban Valletta and suburban Floriana have so much to offer in quiet open surrounds with scenes that are spectacular and unique. With some surprise many members got to visit for the first time some sites on the fortifications flanking Valletta on the landward side which offer that peace and tranquillity unexpected in hustle and bustle that are Valletta and Floriana.

Starting with the Hastings Gardens ramblers greeted the scenic views of Marsamxetto harbour but their awareness was raised of the frail stone bridges that span the ditch just below at frequent intervals and half-way up the high walls. The purpose and make up of these bridges were explained and the intricate tunnel system that connects all of them under the bastions was described. It was a pity that today all the hard work and ingenuity behind such a marvellous tunnel and bridge system was left to crumble when it potentially constituted a means of upgrading and balancing the tourist product of Valletta. For visitors whose interest in baroque may wane in favour of other interests like military architecture, sightseeing and open areas, the whole bastions complex is bewildering in itself and leads to lovely gardens and open high spaces with magnificent views of both harbours and typical Maltese landscapes.

At the Garden of Repose on the Floriana bastions facing Msida all marvelled at how well the place is maintained after having been vandalised and pilfered savagely immediately after the British left Malta. The stone marking the place where Mikiel Anton Vassalli is reputed to be buried, next to the monument of Hookham Frere, shows the importance that the British gave to the father of the Maltese language. The splendid views over Msida creek and Manoel Island are enhanced by the peace of the place and the bright sunshine.

The delightful Argotti gardens treated the ramblers to more scenic charms and the visit here unfortunately could not take in the botanical purpose to which the University of Malta is today devoting to the place. Instead it was a quick romp to remind all of the tranquillity that reigns supreme in that place. Once back at the gate the ramblers could admire the baroque exterior of the Sarria church and the Wignacourt Water trough and the adjacent Gothic style Robert Sammut Hall, formerly the Methodist church, designed by Maltese architect Caruana Galizia.

The unexpected St Philip Gardens, which many members hardly knew about let alone visited, came as a pleasant surprise in such proximity to the Argotti. The ramparts there offered an unusual overview of the major traffic thoroughfare of Portes-des-Bombes, the Pinetum and the Maltese landscapes beyond. The stone fountain which Grandmaster Wignacourt had erected in front the Palace in Valletta to commemorate the arrival of running water in the city, today stands there in its lonely majesty

At the next garden of Sa Maison (commonly known as Tal-Milorda), the various carvings on the walls and other free standing stone works left by the various regiments stationed in Malta drew admiration. But the main attention fell on the crumbling state of the marvellous arch that spans the outer fortifications of Floriana, at the far end of the garden. This is no ordinary arch as its ceiling slopes dramatically and its sides veer diagonally. A hidden master-piece is in grave danger of being lost through neglect and disrespect. The valley it spans, if cleared from overgrowth and other waste, will extend the lovely garden to, and make it easily accessible from, the Ospizio at Floriana, below the Police HQ. The area is crying out for rehabilitation and yet remains another potential gem waiting to be recovered. Ironically an iron gate and a gate-keeper today stand guard indiscernable of the derelict ramshackle surrounds of the Ospizio and beyond.

At Ta’ Braxia cemetery the Caruana Galizia chapel dominates the restful grounds of many expatriates who served militarily or administratively in Malta during the last two centuries, remembered by inscriptions on their lofty or humble tombstones or forgotten by the erosion of time. The cemetry has come under the administration of the Maltese authorities after the Commonwealth War Graves Commission spent long years caring for the place, and it is a pleasure to witness that the place is being very well maintained.

The ramblers paid special admiration to the elaborate monument to the memory of shipping magnate Olaf Gollcher.

The longest part of the walk took ramblers up the hill to the Grand Harbour side of Floriana and to the gardens and open spaces flanking the bastions overlooking the new Valletta Waterfront (ex Pinto Stores), past the Ruzar Briffa Hospital and into the King George V gardens with its lovely views of St Angelo and the Three Cities. The St Peter Counterguard was toured and its sights endorsed from the lonely Gardjola there before the last lap was taken to the Bus Terminus through the tunnels on the outer ramparts which today house the Central Bank annexe.

It took five solid hours well spent on walking, sightseeing and cultural reflection on those other elements of the cultural heritage of Valletta and its environs which carry so much leisure potential yet are sorely underutilized and direly crying for attention.

Mixquqa – Mizieb – Xemxija

Mixquqa – Mizieb – Xemxija 11^th Nov 2007

The feast of San Martin, on November 11^th, provided a varied walk of sun and rain clouds, garigue and woodland. Forming a long snake across the area recently declared as a national park (instead of a golf course) 170 Ramblers crossed from the ancient hamlet of Manikata to a eucalyptus grove near the reservoir.

View of garigue - pity it's spoilt with that monstrosity
in the background

Ramblers snaking across the garigue.

The old hamlet

Past the Church, after an area of cart ruts and ancient walls we arrived at the location for our first environmental initiative.

Gun cartridges were collected during a rest stop here before entering the wooded area where narrow pathways and tree-scapes provided a wonderful sense of isolation surrounded by greenery. Many abandoned hunters’ hides were encountered. One of these even sported a roof garden to the amusement of all.

Hunter's hide

Threading our way through the trees and along the rough pathways we emerged near a modern-day “girna” where Ramblers tidied the area for future visitors, leaving a positive mark on this lesser known part of the countryside.

Spent shotgun shells collected from the area

Walking through the woodland

At the Archeological zone on Xemxija Ridge the walk disbanded as some descended via the Roman Apiary to walk or catch a bus back to Golden Bay – or to Mosta/Valletta. Others had parked cars waiting for them and a lift back to the starting point. The really intrepid ones chose to ramble back along a separate track, extending the ramble by another hour.

Thanks to all who made the morning a pleasant one. On a personal note it is 36 years to the day that I arrived in Malta therefore the Mizieb Ramble was the very best way I could think of to mark this day which is so special to me.

Alex and Anne addressing the assembled masses

Our presence at Mizieb, in a non-aggressive manner, is a statement in itself. Words are hardly necessary. It was encouraging to see families enjoying themselves in these wild surroundings. Such a sight made us feel that this pine and olive wonderland may be one of Malta’s best kept secrets.

Walk Leader: Anne
Duration: about 3 hours to Xemxija

Note 1. This is the first RAM walk guided by our new walk leader, Anne Zammit. The write-up and ideas are hers.

Note 2. Clicking on a photo will open it up to a larger size.

Press Release - Ramblers on Future MLP Plans

The Ramblers Association of Malta has noted with great concern the unilateral direction taken by the leader of the Opposition, Dr Alfred Sant, toward developing more golf courses - two in Malta and one in Gozo - as quoted in several media reports.

RAM is strongly opposed to the idea that more swathes of open countryside and scarce water resources should be sacrificed in such a wasteful way - more so when recent studies, carried out in connection with the now abandoned Xaghra l-Hamra plans, confirmed that a stand-alone course would not be viable.

RAM also questions the Labour Party's stand on two particular sites in Gozo - namely ta Cenc and Hondoq - and would like to remind the Party that its representatives at the Save Gozo environmental protest, held earlier this year, manifestly opposed development at both sites.

SPTT Wied id-Dis Walk 14th October 2007

San Pawl Tat-Targa Wied id-Dis Walk
14th October 2007


Despite the rainy weather forecast for the day, 105 people turned up for this walk. And they were amply rewarded, as there were only a few drops of rain at the start of the walk. Fortune favours the brave, as the saying goes.

This walk was also the “maiden walk“ of our new walk leader, Jack Vella. The RAM committee hereby extends its thanks to Jack for his time. Unfortunately a lot of people only go as far as making comments and suggestions on how walks should, or should not, be conducted, but only a very few are willing to actually lead a walk or two. If any ramblers are willing to lead walks, you know what you have to do!

From our meeting place near SPTT chapel, we walked down the hill (Telgha T’Alla u Ommu), then turned right towards Gharghur, passing just below Birguma and an active quarry until we hit the Victoria lines. After a short detour to view Ghar San Brincat and Ghar San Pietru, we continued to follow the Victoria lines until we reached Wied id-Dis. We walked up the valley bed for a short distance, then struck up the side of the valley to Gharghur.
From Gharghur it was only a short distance back to our starting point.

Below are some notes on the features seen during this walk, as contributed by Jack.

Walk Leader: Jack
Duration: 3 hours including the breaks.


Captain’s tower


The Captain’s tower was built during the reign of Grand Master La Vallette and prior to the Great Siege of 1565. It was sometimes used by Grand Master La Vallette who used to stay here when he was touring the vicinities. It is named so because the Captain of the Militia (a group that guarded the area) was stationed in this tower. On the other side of the road one can also see a similar tower; Gauci’s tower, which was built round the same time.

In the upper part of the tower one can notice several drop boxes that were used in case of any attacks, when boiling oil was dropped on the enemy. There are also several holes that were used by soldiers to shoot from. It is important to mention that the Naxxar Militia at the time had round about 100 soldiers making it only second to the capital city, Valletta.


It-Torri tal-Kaptan



Pill box

This pill box, formerly known as Defense Post R15, was built in the late 1930’s just before beginning of World War 2. It is located in the upper part of T’ Alla w’ Ommu, and was built to enhance the safety of the area. In fact, before the time of Mount Maghtab, one could easily have a view of the whole area from Salina to Bahar ic- Caghaq. These type of pill boxes used to have two floors, the upper part for the guard and as target box while the lower part served as an accommodation for the soldiers.


Defence Post R15


Il-Widna

Il- Widna (acoustic mirror) can be considered as a primitive form of radar. It consists of a curved wall, in the form of a parabola, with a microphone or a person at the focal point. Sound waves, coming from the direction of Sicily would be concentrated at this focal point, providing a sort of amplification of faint sounds normally inaudible to the human ear. The idea was that enemy planes could be heard approaching from the north while they were still far enough to scramble fighters, warn civilians of an impending air raid, and also provide sufficient notice to man the anti-aircraft batteries. Its usefulness was in fact short-lived, as it was soon overtaken by the first radar.



Jack with Mount Maghtab and il-Widna in the background


Ghar San Brincat

This consist of two caves, one of which is relatively small. In other times, when farmers and shepherds were common around the island, these caves were used as means of shelter from the weather. In the smallest cave we can see a frame of Our Saviour’s crucifixion. According to legend this was put up to protect the shepherds from bad spirits who used to haunt and taunt them, sometimes even ending in fatalities, with people being thrown into the valley below. Mass was sometimes said inside this cave during the month of November.


Victoria Lines

The Victoria lines were built as a defense for the southern part of the island against a probable attack from the enemy if they land in the northern part such as Golden Bay, Xemxija or Ghadira bay. Even though Malta is a heavily- fortified island, the majority of the fortifications lie in the Cottonera and Valletta area. The main objective of the Victoria Lines that of offering security against attacks from the north, was never realised. However, they are still considered as part of our heritage. Unfortunately, although some parts have been renovated, many other parts are still in a bad state of repair. We have seen other sections of the Lines on past walks, and will certainly see more on future walks.



Crossing Wied il-Faham


The Master Antenna

The master antenna in Gharghur is the main telecommunication antenna on The Maltese Islands. The main TV stations as well as other telephony companies make direct use of this antenna. This antenna was built in 1960’s, and, forty years later, it Is still being used for the same purpose. The antenna is the highest point in the Maltese Islands, as Gharghur is at about the same height as Dingli & Rabat, with only few metres difference. In fact the motto of the village is “Excelsior”, which means the highest.


Wied id-Dis and Santa Marija taz- Zellieqa

This valley is one of the most beautiful and extensive in Malta, with its trees and the renowned seven arched bridge. This bridge was not so long ago used for abseiling. It is also home to robins during their season.



Wied id-Dis


Gharghur

The current population of Gharghur is around 2700 people. Its history dates back to Roman times. Remains dating from Roman times were found in the main street, St. John Street, in 1955. In fact the olive crusher exhibited in the Domus Romana, was actually found in Gharghur. In 1436, with some 700 people living (200 families), the process started that would finally detach Gharghur from the neighbouring village of Naxxar. It was at this time that the first chapel dedicated to St. Bartholomew was built. Even so, it was not until 1598 that the village made its request to officially separate itself from Naxxar, finding harsh opposition from the parish priest of Naxxar, Fr. Julian Borg. And in fact it was not before 1610, following his death, that this request was finally accepted, with the villagers losing no more time to start building the present-day church, a project that took 28 years to finish. In 1734 some major alterations were made to the façade, lasting to the present day.

Needless to say Gharghur is one of the most beautiful villages in Malta, having kept its identity throughout the centuries and, as far as I am concerned, the most important, as I was born here.



Climbing from Wied id-Dis to Gharghur


Jack Vella

The Three Palaces

Wednesday - 3rd October 2007

101 assembled. No, they were not Dalmations but a pure breed of genuine ramblers that challenged the heat to start off from St. Dominic Church and up to Tal Virtu. The quiet suburb was soon alive as the start of a new season of walks gripped all and sundry in a flurry of excitement. Once through the gate that lies at the extreme western corner of the perimeter of the Seminary grounds, the country lane was followed down into Il-Wied tal-Isqof, where a hunter displaying his shotgun greeted us amicably and also showed us the way up to the old and derelict summer place that the bishop of Malta had built for himself in the first half of the 17th century. After a close look at the dampish cave under the lush cliff, which still displays a large stone table and a vivid spring of fresh water, the group were welcomed by the President, Lino Bugeja, who then proceeded to give the historical details of the derelict site. It appears the Bishop of Malta at the time envied the Grandmaster and the Inquisitor who both had built a summer residence for themselves in the vicinity.




Ramblers in the grounds of Verdala palaceThe group then walked past the Chapel dedicated to St Lucy and St Nicholas of Bari at Gnien il-Far, a justapatronatus of the Testaferrata Viani family, which served as a refugee centre during the last war. And then on to the Verdala Palace grounds, which were thrown open to us by courtesy of the President (unfortunately the palace itself is undergoing restoration and maintenance) and the quaint chapel of St Anthony the Abbot, which was amply detailed by the caretaker there, Mr Mifsud.
Mr Mifsud was kind enough to let us through the back gate that leads to the Buskett forest and through this path all could admire the west fa?de of the palace with its imposing staircase.

We were running very late and it was only at noon that we arrived at the third palace, the Inquisitor?s at Girgenti. Mr Robert Cutajar from the OPM welcomed the Ramblers and gave a brief description of the place. The Secretary thanked him warmly as he was instrumental to render possible the visits to both palaces. He also explained that Mr Cutajar is the person entrusted by the Prime Minister to liaise with the RAM where difficult people or situations are encountered in the countryside.




All ears to the commentary by Mr Mifsud inside the Chapel of St Anthony the AbbotFifteen persons at a time were permitted to tour the halls and view the rooms of the prime-minister?s residence, so well over an hour was spent there. It was at this point that the intended visit to Ghar il-Kbir and Clapham?s Junction was decided to be forsaken. After taking a group photo the ramblers took the road back to Buskett , which was crossed from south to north, and thence on the tarmaced road back to San Duminku, arriving there at around 2.00pm.

The numerous turnout, the interesting talks at all the three ?palaces? and the engaging walkabouts there did slacken the walk enough to force the cancellation of the visit to the last site. However none was sorry for it as there was more thrown in than any had been bargained for.


Group photo