Good Times in Gozo

If the dry and rocky surface of the moon was near a blue and heaving sea, it would look remarkable. That’s what I was thinking while on an adventurous mountain bike ride down the north east coast of Gozo along a rocky, sandy, bit of littoral that really did look like the backdrop for a science fiction movie. 

Circular bare hills, made of nothing but terracotta bedrock, appeared almost like alien spaceships worn old through eons of time, just waiting for some long lost signal to take off. Strange grid-like areas hewn into the soft sandstone rock looked as if they’d been etched by the antediluvian folk now buried in the fossilised flying saucers. Mysterious doors set directly into blank cliffs seemed to promise all manner of dark secrets locked within. 

Only the sea danced and sparkled with the buoyant boundless life of here and now. It roared and boomed with spume and spray, looking impossibly deep and blue in a way which only the Mediterranean can when it is wed to the white sandstones and limestones of a sunlit coast. 

Everything along that coast was stark and surprising. Indeed, most things on Gozo - Malta’s little sister - are clear-cut, graphic and somehow abrupt. 

The landscapes of these twin-isles (and their even smaller sister, Comino) are not soft and kindly - they are as far from our sylvan acres as it is to imagine - but they do have a unique charm of their own. 

Yes, there are less than lovely parts of Malta - because whoever guards the rule-book of urban planning on that rocky island seems to have either lost it or chucked it away.  The hand of man has been heavily laid upon its few and limited acres. 

However, some unspoiled corners have survived - and Gozo is a lot more rural - which means it is possible to visit these remarkable islands and enjoy some of their USP.

As it turns out, Gozo and Malta have plenty when it comes to Unique Selling Proposition - if you are prepared to go out and look for it. Which is exactly what I was doing on a special trip designed to show the two islands at their natural best. During the four days I was there I walked, mountain-biked, kayaked, cycled and hiked again.

The Maltese archipelago lies more-or-less at the centre of the Mediterranean, about 60 miles south of Sicily and around 80 miles north of Africa. The three islands have a total population of 400,000 inhabitants spread over an area of 122 square miles (Comino has just four permanent residents) and combined the isles have 155 miles of coast.

The central location gives a clue as to its long and colourful history - the place has been invaded or annexed by just about everyone from the Phoenicians to the Normans. 

And of course the British used it as a sea-bound fortress and unsinkable aircraft carrier. It’s strange how we can feel possessive about far away places which have no real meaning to us save for historic links and associations - Malta is most definitely one of those locations. 

It has been independent since 1964 and yet Malta in particular (less so Gozo) seems 100 per cent haunted by the fact that we Brits ruled its tiny roost for over 160 years. Every sign, instruction, menu or whatever is in English and every Maltese person speaks our language - as well as their own Arabic-related tongue. 

Kempinski Hotel

But, as I say, it was to discern the archipelago’s own USP that I flew south with Air Malta - only to be immediately transferred to Gozo where I stayed in the luxurious five star Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz. Some five star hotels are that by label, but not by nature - this one deserves every facet of every star.

The name Gozo means ‘joy’ and was applied by the Aragonese when the archipelago became one of their overseas possessions in 1282. But Gozo is perhaps more famous for being home of the beautiful Calypso, as mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey.

It’s greener, more rural and agricultural - and quite a bit smaller than Malta - and life definitely moves at a more leisurely pace.

The tomato farms of Gozo

It was evening by the time I arrived, so we repaired immediately to the Zeffiro Restaurant on the waterfront at Xlendi, which is a small fishing village located deep in the valley of what can only be described as a rocky fjord. 

And this brings me to the subject of Maltese food and service. Both are first class - in fact, I’d go as far as to say that the general level of service in Maltese hotels and restaurants is on a par with anything you’ll find anywhere else in the Mediterranean.

It is surpassed by only one thing - and that is the food. With Italian, French, British, North African, Spanish and Greek influences, the cuisine was always going to be good - and of this I was immediately convinced having consumed just one memorable seafood dinner at the waterside Zeffiro.

Typical Gozo lunch

So much for fine dining in the evening - but this, for example, is a classic Maltese lunch... The islands are renown for their excellent bread and for lunch sometimes the locals will hollow out loaf which is then stuffed with a mixture of its own breadcrumbs, tomatoes, olives, capers, onions and beans. 

Gozo cheeses

Another Gozo speciality is a tomato paste that you can spread on the ever-present bread - and it defies my sense of logic and understanding that they don’t market this stuff around the planet. It is, simply, the best tomato product in the world.

I could write an entire article about Maltese food, but instead I want to reflect on some of the outdoor adventures I enjoyed touring around the wilder bits of the islands. 

On my first full day we travelled to one of Gozo’s hilltop villages, Gharb, to begin a two hour mountain bike ride along the lunar coastline, ending at Xwejni Bay. I mentioned strange grid-like areas hewn into the soft sandstone rock - they are ancient salt-pans, still used by one or two locals for harvesting sea salt. I bought several packs for a matter of pence - and it is superb stuff. 

Ancient salt pans cut into the rock of Gozo

After a lunch consisting mainly of a Maltese version of tapas at the harbour-side Kartell Restaurant in Marsalforn, we spent the afternoon tootling around Gozo on quad-bikes - which was great fun, if not slightly alarming at times when confronted with near vertical tracks leading down into green and hidden valleys. 

The next day we took a boat out to Comino en-route back to mainland Malta. The island is situated in the middle of the channel that separates the two larger neighbours and is a haven for those who love water sports. 

The Blue Lagoon, with its clear green-blue water, is one of the most spectacular sights in the archipelago. It is so incredibly blue that you wonder if God has being playing with the colour adjustment on his ethereal TV. 

We explored the cave-riddled coast of Comino in a powerful launch and admired the seasonal hotel that was about to open, saw one of the three residents - and then roared off to the northern tip of Malta in time for a walk before lunch.

The hike, around a rocky peninsula between Cirkewwa and Ghadira Bay, lasted an hour and a half and we were treated to wonderful maritime views every step of the way. We also noticed lots of little stone buildings, which turned out to be a rather sorry part of traditional Maltese life...

Gozo’s dramatic coast

It seems that the islanders have a predilection for killing or capturing wild birds of every size and shape - and these stone huts belong to individuals who either shoot or net the hapless incomers migrating between Africa and Europe. 

We learned this at our next port of call, which was a small wetland managed by an estimable charity called Bird Life Malta. It is run by a small and extremely determined bunch of ornithologists whose mission it is to protect their weary and much-put-upon feathered friends (find out more at www.birdlifemalta.org - they need all the help they can get)

The fjords of Gozo

Fact File

For further information on Malta go to http://www.visitmalta.com

Martin flew with Air Malta which operates a year-round scheduled service of 26 flights per week from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester.  Air Malta also operates regional summer charter flights from Bristol, Exeter and Cardiff. 

For more information visit airmalta.com”