Bahrija Country Walk

MaltaMaltaC O U N T R Y S I D E W A L K S

Ba˙rija Walk Ba˙rija Walk

IntroductionThe walk starts and ends in Rabat(Malta). It comprises countrysideviews of fertile valleys surrounded byhills. The walk passes through dryfarmed land as well as maquis. Be-yond the hamlet of Ba˙rija, a detourtakes you to Mi©ra Fer˙a where theNormans landed in the 11th century tobring to an end the Arab rule in Malta.

The walk meanders along coastal cliffs offering stunning views anda glimpse of the islet of Filfla. The site of a Bronze Age village, clifffarmhouses as well as Roman quarries, can also be seen along theway. Mtahleb’s chapel, built during the mid-17th century standshigh above the cliff-farms and overlooks the fertile valley. The walkcontinues towards Fiddien valley from where it proceeds towardsthe finishing point at Rabat.

The text read in conjunction with the route map (found in the cen-tre pages) enables you to follow the route more easily. The numbersin the text correspond to the numbers on the map.

How to get thereThe starting point is at Rabat, more precisely at the Nigret rounda-bout (near the Busugrilla Housing Estate) at the western extremityof the town.

Public TransportYou can get there as follows;ü From Valletta, route buses 80 and 81 alighting at the Nigret

roundabout.ü From Sliema, route bus 65 which stops at the Saqqajja terminus,

close to Mdina and approximately 1.3 km away from the Nigretroundabout.

ü From Bugibba, route bus 86 which also stops at Saqqajja termi-nus as above.

For the return journey the same route buses can be taken from thesame place you have alighted prior to starting the walk. It is advis-able to check bus timetables before you embark on the walk.

Own TransportIt is possible to use your own transport to reach the Nigret rounda-bout as the walk ends there too. It is suggested that you park yourvehicle in the car park of the housing estate.

Length of the walk (excluding detours) is 13 km.Duration is approximately 4.5 to 5 hours.

Photo: John Ebejer

M A L T A C O U N T R Y S I D E W A L K S

The Walk

The walk starts at the Nigretroundabout, at the lower end ofVjal il-Haddiem. Turn left to followthe road sign to Fiddien.

The road passes by some farmbuildings and eventually reachesthe open countryside. You willsoon reach a horse-drinking foun-tain at a road junction. Follow theBahrija sign. A short downhillroad flanked by a row of maturemulberry trees reaches a buildingcarrying a marble commemorative

tablet in Latin. It states; ‘This isa gauging chamber for the two12 inch cast iron pipes takingwater from a spring nearby onto the Sentini Reservoir.’ The re-

placement of oldclay pipes withcast iron ones wasconsidered a majorproject at the turnof the 20th century.Next to this build-ing there is a cob-bled water-lanerunning along thewatercourse and apicnic area re-cently provided aspart of a project torehabilitate thevalley.Gauging chamber at Fiddien

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As you walk alongthe valley, you willcome across steelmesh cages(gabions) filled withstones. These areused as soil retainingwalls. To encouragethe growth of flora,the top gabionscontain soil in adegradable plasticbag. The idea is toemulate the typicalMaltese rubble wall. The clump ofyoung trees just behind the rubblewall in the picnic area is the whitewillow (Salix alba). Years agowillow branches were used for ahand musical instrument (Iz-Zafzafa) and in basketry. Furtherdownstream, this valley runs intothe Chadwick Lakes.

Walk a few paces beyond thispicnic area to reach a road junction.Take the road on the right leadingto Bahrija. (Note that the road onthe left will be your return route ofthis walk from Mtahleb). The firstpart of the road to Bahrija is linedwith Mulberry trees. On the right,you will soon notice the hugecovered reservoir of is-Sentini.This collects spring water from the

surrounding area. Afterchlorination, the water runs to Ta’Qali Reservoir in Attard, practicallyfollowing the same route as theaquaduct built in 1615 byGrandmaster Wignacourt. At thetime, the aquaduct was a majorengineering feat by which springwater flowed by gravity from thisarea all the way to Valletta some15 kms away.

Retaining walls constructed from steelmesh gabions

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Prickly pear flower

The road starts ascending, flankedby fields enclosed in rubble wallsand a few farm buildings. On yourright you can see fertile agricul-tural land and further down, Ta’Koronja valley. No wonder theKnights tapped the abundantsprings here to supply their newcapital city, Valletta, with that pre-cious commodity – water.

Beyond a farm livestock unit on theleft and a few Aleppo pines, youreach a road junction. Take theroad on the left 1 and walk to-wards the hamlet of Ba˙rija.


On your left, you will see the tallradio antennae of the Wied RiniMaritime Coastal Station of theCivil Aviation Department. Walkalong the main road to Ba˙rijahamlet until you reach a largesquare named Il-Misrah. In thissquare there are catering facilities,a small public garden with publictoilet facilities and children’s playequipment. The name of the gar-den is “It-Tifla tal-Barnuza L-Óamra” (Little Red Riding Hood) asindicated by the miniature cottageat the end of the garden.

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Across the road from the gardena low rubble wall encloses acorbelled hut, underneath whichthere is an ancient undergroundrock tomb. This site is private.From here you can also see, tothe North behind the new build-ings, the old 16th century chapelof St. Martin the Bishop. Activi-ties are organized in Novemberto commemorate the feast ofthis local patron. These includea particular village fête where,rumour has it, one can find the

through small irrigated fields. Youmay see large pumpkins stackedon roofs of farmhouses. Pumpkinsare harvested in late summer.These are taken to the vegetablemarket, a few at a time, accordingto demand, until the next harvestis due. Pumpkins are stored on theroof to protect them from field-mice. Ignore the narrow downhilllane you soon meet on your leftand follow the right turning in theroad past an old farm with longstone water spouts on its roof.

Then follow the first left path,which abruptly descends intothe valley. Soon a wide as-phalted steep track takes youto a cluster of canes. This pathleads you under a canopy ofcanes and over the stream bed.

best fattened turkeys on sale inanticipation of Christmas.

Continue along the main roadflanking the garden. Beyond thePrimary School, the road startsgoing slightly downhill until aroad junction is reached. 2 Turnleft into a country road passing

St Martin the Bishop Chapel - Ba˙rija

Corbelled hut over ancient rock tomb

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Once over the stream bed, turnright following the path running

alongside, butslightly above,the stream bedfor approxi-mately 200 me-tres until thepath turns up-hill to your left.In wet condi-tions watchyour step. Notethe wetland

The Bronze Age people probably came from a region in the Southof Italy after the decline of the Temple people. The Bronze Agecovers the period from 2500 BC to 800 BC. Settlers establishedsmall, well-defended hilltop villages of simple hovels, to meet theconditions prevailing at the time. Archaeological finds from thearea yielded pottery fragments of earthenware utensils bearing aCalabrian influence. Probably, the Ba˙rija Phase saw its inhabit-ants as livestock breeders or herdsmen, rather than farmers. It iseasier to defend livestock by protecting it in the fortified villagethan protecting the crops in the open fields below. Raising live-

stock in this area was economically viable dueto the presence of nearby springs, valleys car-rying flowing waters and lush vegetation.The sheer cliffs rising from the sea also offeredprotection to the village.


flora of thestreambed.Toweringabove isthe Il-Q l e j g ˙ arocky out-crop be-hind whichis the siteof a BronzeAge vil-lage.

Pumpkins and melons inthe sun at Mta˙leb 5

Once the path reaches a junctionjust beneath the rocky outcrop, thewalk continues to the left. 3 How-ever if you wish to catch a glimpseof the site of a Bronze Age village,turn temporarily to the right fol-lowing the footpath for about 100metres. The narrow path passes

through a cleft in the rocky outcropand slopes slightly down to an-other path at a lower level. To yourright you can see a number ofcaves ensconced in the rocks andhaving their entrances walled upby rough hewn stones. At pathlevel, large boulders can still be

seen forming partof the rubblewalls, probablyforming part ofthe village protec-tive wall. Beyondthe gateways theland is private.Retrace yoursteps to point. 3

Site of Bronze Age village

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Walk uphill for a few metres whereyou can enjoy a good view of theislet of Filfla beyond the cliffs. Thepath continues uphill and passes aweathered rockface on your rightstudded with caper plants(Capparis spinosa). On the left,across the valley, the Ba˙rija ham-let stands out on the ridge. A fewmore metres ahead and a solitaryvilla on the left is reached. The pathnow develops into an asphalted


farmers. At the next junc-tion, walk straight on ena-bling you to walk closer tothe cliffs. 4 The road tothe left also leads toMta˙leb but through aroute away from the cliffs.This hamlet will be seen ata later stage of this walk.

Rocky outcrop protecting the Ba˙rija valley

Vigarju cliffs

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countryside road. Walk past thisbuilding, on the asphalted road,with the Tal-Vigarju Cliffs on yourright.

Proceed further and soon, on yourright, you pass by a solitary farmbuilding perched on the edge ofthe cliffs. On the left, there are anumber of dry-farmed fields re-claimed some twenty years ago byGovernment and tenanted to

right down the asphalted road toreach the spectacular view point ofMi©ra Fer˙a . The road windsdownhill for about 1.5 kms flankedby a mixture of tall trees of AleppoPines (Pinus halepensis), Acacias(Acaciia saligna and A. cyclopis)Eucalypts (Eucalyptus sp.), and thehardy Tamarix (Tamarix africana, T.gallica, T articulata]). Through thetrees you can catch a glimpse ofFilfla, now a marine nature reserve.

Aleppo Pines lining the roaddown to Mi©ra Fer˙a

Wild Thyme bush

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The road continues on for a fewmetres up to a Y junction. 5 Bothroads lead to the same path butthe one on the right is suggestedfor a good bird’s eye view of theintensely cultivated terraced fields.The walk continues its windingway along a stretch ofrocky landscape. In springthis is a veritable rock gar-den, adorned with low-growing, hardy plants andshrubs including the wildthyme (Thymus capitatus)which beekeepers look to,for the production ofchoice honey. This is atypical garigue habitat.The path soon meets theelbow of an asphaltedroad. Turn left. 6

At this point, if you wishto take a detour and areprepared to tackle thesteep return walk to thispoint, you can turn to your

At the end of the asphalted roadand before the car park is reached,there is a gorge, which runs downto the sea. According to traditionthis was the place where CountRoger the Norman and his armylanded in 1090 when he broughtto an end the Arab rule over Malta.The close proximity to the oldcapital city, Mdina, made it easierfor Count Roger to surprise theArab garrison. The small mouth ofthe gorge reaching the sea level iscalled Migra Ferha (traditionallyheld to mean the joyous arrival).

The road ends in a car parkperched on the cliffs from wheredaring shore fisherman throwlong fishing lines. You may see


the cane fish traps as well as float-ing lines towed away in the opensea by small rafts carrying a sail(mrejkba). Avoid walking close tothe cliff edge due to occasionalsudden gusts of wind as well asthe continuous erosion of the cliffface. This is a spot to feast one’seyes on the blue Mediterraneansea below as well as the surround-ing cliffs. The detour ends here.Retrace your steps slowly uphilluntil you reach point. 6

Mi©ra Fer˙a gorge

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Proceeding along the country road,you pass by a solitary farm on yourright. The cliffs overlooking the seaare on your right. On the verge ofthe cliffs there is a solitary build-ing. This was one of the buildings

used by tuna fishermen inMalta up to the beginningof the last century to storetheir fishing tackle and tospot the shoals of tuna be-low. These buildings werealso used by the Britishservices as part of theircoastal defence system.Stretches of garigue flankthe road on both sides. Thewinding road soon passesby a cluster of farmhouseson your right.

When the road starts narrowing,you should see on your left old Ro-man quarries still carrying thesigns of the preparatory chiselwork needed to quarry blocks ofstone. Although situated on pri-vate land, they can be easily seenfrom the road which flanks them.

Roman period rock quarries

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As the road veers away from thecliff edge, lush deep valleys can beseen below. The presence of anumber of springs makes for moreintensive farming activity.

Soon you will see across the widevalley, the chapel of Mta˙leb ham-let perched on the edge of a cliffoverlooking the valley. Look to-wards the chapel, you can the sim-ple abodes of farmers nestling in


the cliff faces. In fact, quite a fewfarms in the cliff face make use ofcaves as an integral part of their liv-ing space.

A close scrutiny of the cliff faces,will reveal several openings indi-cating caves and dug outs still inuse as storage spaces or for live-stock. Although the farmhousesand chapel stand on a private es-tate, the chapel is open to the pub-lic for religious functions.

Large numbers of round brightgreen shrubs called spurges, someas high as 1.5 metres, can be foundalong the cliff sides and edges. Inour islands, one finds four spurges,one of which is endemic to Malta(Euphorbia melitensis).

Aleppo pine cones 13

The cliff hanging hamlet of Mta˙leb

Tomato plant inan open field

Mta˙leb ChapelThe chapel, dedicated to the Nativity of our Lady, is one of anumber of chapels, known as ‘Juspatronati’. Such chapels werebuilt by noblemen, the Knights and rich gentry, on their es-tates or as part of their palaces, as their own private chapels.The chapels are financially provided for by means of a founda-tion. The church authorities used to grant them the‘Juspatronatus’ or the right to nominate the rector. This chapel,which is a juspatronatus of the noble D’Amico Inguanez fam-ily, whose family seat is at Mdina, is accessible to the public forprayers and for divine service. The chapel, constructed in 1656stands on the site of two earlier chapels built on the same foun-dations. It was enlarged to its present state and its steeplerebuilt after a storm damage, during the late part of the pastcentury.

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The road continues along the edgeof the cliff, and proceeds througha rocky area until a T junction ismet. Turn left. 7 The windingroad is again flanked by a plainwith a predominance of the tuber-ous rooted plant, the Asphodel(Asphodelus sp.).

A large squat building surroundedby a high perimeter wall looms intoview. Walk towards this buildingand, just before you reach the pe-rimeter wall, take the nar-row road to the right. Walkthe few metres down thisroad until you reach a por-tal indicating private own-ership of the whole estatebehind it. The coat of arms


of the Maltese noble fam-ily which owns this privateestate can be seen on thetop of the portal. Next tothe portal, on your left and

hugging the rock face, there is amile-stone. This was one of manyinstalled during Victorian times inthe countryside, to indicate the dis-tance in miles, from that spot toValletta. This was a measure toprevent horse driven cabs fromovercharging transport fares toBritish Military personnel sta-tioned in the area. Was this systemthe forerunner of the taxi-metre?

Cultivated land at Mta˙leb

Portal leading toMta˙leb hamlet

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Retrace your steps tothe squat building,turn right and con-tinue walking for a fewmetres until a narrowroad on the right leadsto the Chapel. Fromthe church parvis onegets a stunning bird’seye view of the coun-tryside below as wellas a peep of the simpleabodes nestling in therock face below. Thechapel, the fertile val-ley below, the farmssheltering under thecliffs, the rich macquisand a solitary clump ofa date palm providescountless opportuni-ties for the photogra-phy enthusiast.

You should walk backto the main road andturn right. 8

Fennel

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Ahead are a number of wind oper-ated water mills towering above ir-rigated fields, while on the rightthere are stretches of garigue.Soon the road starts going slightlydownhill, past some farm build-ings. The walk continues straighton downhill.

Continue walking and soon, youpass over an iron grill stretchingacross the road. This is a water cul-vert to collect precious water run-off from the asphalted road into anunderground reservoir to be used

for irrigation purposes. The roadpasses through a small cluster offarmhouses and continues down-hill. A side road on your right issoon reached. It indicates the wayto Dingli Cliffs. Continuing alongthe main road, you should meet arow of tall Eucalyptus trees flank-ing the road. They are growingalong a ditch which actually is thebeginning of a valley, Wied il-Buzbiez (Valley of Fennel).

Note on the right a large stonemarker with the letters GR carvedon its face. GR stands for KingGeorge (of England) in Latin.

Girna(corbelledstone hut)

Geraniums

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Private propertymarker-

(King George period)

The marker indicates that the fieldis government property (then thecolonial government). The road isnow flanked on both sides by fer-tile fields, many of which are irri-gated offering a wide range of veg-etables.

Walk along the main road. A fewmetres beyond the left turning toL-Andrijiet, there is a second leftturning to Fiddien. Turn left here.9 As you walk towards FiddienBridge, note the row of tall poplartrees (Populus alba) on your left.A chainlink fence is seen on theedge of the watercourse as you ap-proach the Fiddien bridge junction.Note a large Pecan nut tree (Carja

Pumpkin Field

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oliveaformis) behind the fence nextto the Fiddien Bridge. The walknow comes back to the picnic area,the same site visited at the begin-ning of the walk. Keep going up-hill following the road sign to Ra-bat. On the left, there is anotherrow of Mulberry trees, which endsin a Y-junction.

At this junction, a horse water


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fountain can still be seen, a silentreminder of the times when envi-ronmentally friendly carriages andcarts plied our roads. The walk con-tinues uphill towards Rabat alongTal-Qlejg˙a road until the starting

point at the Busugrilla HousingEstate. Nearby is the historic townof Rabat. Should you wish to visitthe area again a stroll through thequaint streets of Rabat is recom-mended. You can also visit Mdina,one of Malta’s main attractions.

Horse drinking fountain -Fiddien, Rabat

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Tips for the road

The route is suitable for hikes and pedal bikes. Only when

crossing the Bahrija valley [between points 2 & 3] one is advised

to dismount and proceed on foot.

The local weather forecast should be checked before setting

off as there is hardly any shelter from adverse weather

conditions along the route. A raincoat can come in handy in

inclement weather.

Allow enough time to complete the walk in broad daylight.

Make allowances for time required for resting, taking of

photographs and observing nature.

It is advisable to wear appropriate footwear and a hat. A packed

lunch and a bottle of water are also recommended.

Always follow the designated route. Short cuts are to be avoided

as many fields are privately owned.

Some rubble walls are marked with blotches of white paint and

may also carry the letters RTO. These markings indicate private

property.

As part of the walk includes a stretch of cliffs, avoid leaving the

footpath to walk closer to the cliff edge for safety reasons. Rock

erosion as well as sudden gusts of winds are real dangers. Safe

view points along the route are indicated.

In some valleys and gorges, mobile phone reception may be poor

or none at all.

Respect the fragility of the countryside. Do not climb over

rubble walls or throw stones in valleys or over cliffs. Do not

take souvenirs from historical sites or from the countryside. Do

not disturb animals, plants or their natural habitats. Leave only

your footprints behind you and nothing else.

Be culturally sensitive and respect local customs. Take

photographs but respect the privacy and dignity of others. Ask

permission before photographing people.

Bird trapping and hunting are practised in the countryside.

There are, however, strict regulations determining areas where

such activities are permitted and times of year where no such

activities are allowed.

At Rabat, one can find all facilities onewould expect to find in a town, i.e.catering facilities, public phonebooths, banks and publicconveniences, local council offices, thedistrict health clinic and Police Station.

At Ba˙rija hamlet, there are only a fewcatering facilities and a public phonebooth. Between Ba˙rija and thefinishing point at Rabat there are nosuch facilities.

Facilities

Useful telephone numbers.• Emergency & rescue 112• Ambulance 196• Rabat Police Station 2145 4554• Malta Tourism Authority 2291 5800• Rabat Health Centre 2145 9082/3• Rabat Local Council office 2145 5000• Telephone enquiries 1182

All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in anyform or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, withoutthe prior written consent of thecopyright holder. Enquires areto be forwarded to the MaltaTourism Authority.

Feedback and comments are welcome.Write to [email protected]

Date of Publication: October 2002

Text: Joseph BorgPhotos: Alex BugejaMap: Andre Micallef Grimaud

Produced by:Product Planning andDevelopment Directorate,Malta Tourism Authority

www.visitmalta.com

Ba˙rija Walk

Explore fertile valleys in the areas of Ba˙rija, Mta˙leb and Fiddien and observe traditionalagricultural operations. Walk along coastal cliffs and enjoy the stunning views as well asa glimpse of the islet of Filfla. Discover a Bronze Age village, farmhouses built in the cliffface and old Roman quarries.

Other walks in the series

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Girgenti Walk

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Dwejra Lines Walk

Passing through G˙adira - Marfa Ridge - Ponta ta’ l-A˙raxDa˙let ix-Xmajjar - Ir-Ramla Tat-Torri - Armier BayMarfa - Paradise Bay - Ras il-Qammieg˙ - Red Tower

Marfa Ridge Walk To be published in March 2003

Passing through Marsaskala - St. Thomas Bay - Tal-MunxarXrobb il-G˙a©in - Delimara - Tas-Sil© - Marsaxlokk.

Tas-Sil© Walk To be published in March 2003

PRICELm1

The project is being launched in 2002, the World Tourism Organisation’sInternational Year of Eco-Tourism.

Malta CountrysideWalks is a partnershipproject of:

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Bahrija Country Walk