Xlendi Walk
- TravelingFoodie2
- Apr 13, 2022
- 2 min read
There is a walk from Mgarr to Xlendi, a distance of 12 km. It hugs the coast in spots. Since Victoria was closer to Xlendi, we started the walk from there. It's more difficult to follow the trail when walking in reverse and we lost the trail in several areas. Ask the locals and they'll get you back on the path. I wished I had trail shoes as some areas were steep and muddy.
Here's a link to the Xlendi Walk details:
We took the bus to Xlendi, a 10-min ride then walked to Xlendi Bay.
Xlendi cave
The Xlendi waterfront. It was pretty quiet in early December.
Debris from a recent storm littered the street..
St. Indrija, the patron saint of fishermen, sits near the harbor.
Limestone cliffs at Ta' Cenc in Xlendi Bay.
The Xlendi Tower dates to 1650.
The trail takes you over a stone bridge.
Salt ponds in Xlendi Bay.
Just beyond the salt pans, you'll see scattered rocks.
One of the rock formations resembles an anatomical heart and some call it the "Heart of Gozo."
Be careful where you walk. It's hard to tell where the trail is sometimes. We thought we were following the trail but were actually on a farmer's property. He came out and yelled at us. Eventually, we found our way back to the trail.
Looking at Victoria and the Citadel in the distance.
You can also see in the far distance the dome of the Church of Saint John the Baptist. It's located in the village of Xewkija.
We saw several bird trapping areas on our walk. Traps were set up and men watched from their shelters. We thought it was an illegal operation given how clandestine their activities were. Turns out this is legal and the 2021-2022 season is from 10/20/2021 to 1/10/2022. Only trapping of 2 species are allowed--song thrush from 10/20-12/31 and golden plover from 11/1-1/10.
The walk along the coast was beautiful.
Sometimes, the walk took you inland and you walked on roads.
We passed a cattle ranch. They didn't look too happy clustered around the feed troughs..
The trail passed beautiful valleys
Old rock bridges.
Mgarr Ix-Xini is a small bay. Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie used this bay to film By the Sea in 2014.
The watchtower at the entrance of Mgarr Ix-Xini Bay.
Colorful boats with the eyes of Osiris for protection.
Next view is Fort Chambray, which was built in the mid 18th century. It was meant to replace the Citadel but the plans never materialized. It was redeveloped as luxury apartments.
Continue on to the salt pans before arriving in Mgarr Harbour.
In Mgarr, we saw several diving groups. Gozo is known for diving, including wreck diving.
2021 12 01
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