Walking and cycling is the best way to explore Gozo, Malta's smaller sister island. There's no airport on Gozo so the only way to get there from the UK is to fly into Malta, drive to the north and then take a 25-minute ferry ride to the port of Mgarr.
On the way, you pass the tiny island of Comino, not much more than a big rock, and the sea can get surprisingly rough. Fortunately the sun is shining as my boat pulls into the harbour and immediately I enter a different world.
They're not Maltese here but charmingly known as Gozitans and are fiercely proud of their identity.
I'm staying at the charming Ta' Cenc Hotel, 20 minutes from the port, one of the oldest on the island but recently refurbished.
Next day, the sky is not looking promising as I start my hike out of Mgarr. The sound of breakers crashing against the cliffs spurs me onwards and upwards, past Fort Chambray to a 17th-century watchtower, one of many, erected by the Knights of St John to protect them from pirate raids.
Getting there
Fly: Air Malta www.airmalta.com flies direct to Malta from Heathrow.
Package: Headwater's Gozo Activities holiday combines some of the finest walking and cycling routes around the island, staying at two 5-star hotels. Prices start at £1239 per person, including flights from London Heathrow with Air Malta, return ferry and all transfers. www.headwater.com/M07GO, 0160 682 8527.
More info: Visit Malta www.visitmalta.com
After a deviation inland, I'm soon back on the majestic Ta' Seguna cliffs and am intrigued by small stone-built huts. They can't all be toilets, and my guide tells me they are in fact hides, built by locals to trap birds, now an illegal activity.
Further on there's another watchtower and I then make my way downwards to Xlendi Bay, once a small fishing port but now a magnet for summer visitors. I cross a small stone bridge and dodge the surf breaking over the seafront.
It's time for lunch and I'm happy to sit down inside Zafiro restaurant, and tuck into their excellent fresh fish, washed down with Gozitan wine.
In the afternoon I visit the Ggantija Temples, apparently the oldest freestanding structures in the world and therefore a Unesco World Heritage site. There's an excellent museum here and the complex consists of two Neolithic structures dating from around 3,500BC.
After the previous day's hike, I'm now on my bike, heading north across the island then turning west and ending up in the village of San Lawrenz.
Gozo's roads are full of potholes, but fortunately there's not much traffic. It's fairly gusty and the clouds occasionally dump their rain but it's all over quickly.
My first stop is at Calypso Cave where I get a wonderful view of the island's best beach at Ramla Bay. Apparently Odysseus was trapped here for seven years by the nymph Calypso, but I can think of worse places to be a prisoner of love.
It's then downhill to Marsalforn, another tiny fishing harbour, now a plethora of hotels and restaurants, before following the coast past a patchwork of salt pans. When the tide recedes, the water evaporates, leaving deposits of salt; for centuries, this was one of the only sources of income for the locals. It's a steep climb now up from the sea towards the village of Ghasri; the track is rough but soon I've reached the top and am aiming for the Romanesque Basilica of Ta' Pinu - Malta's national shrine to the Virgin Mary. My personal revelation is the luxurious spa at the Kempinski Hotel, 10 minutes beyond, which salves my weary limbs.
Most of Gozo's buildings are constructed from attractive, local golden limestone, which helps them blend into the landscape, even if some of the development is a little haphazard. More impressive are the geological landmarks at Dwejra Bay where wind and sea have conspired to create rock sculptures.
The Azure Window is a natural arch, standing 20m above the crashing waves. There's also the Inland Sea, which was once a huge cave until the roof collapsed. It's now a shallow bay, with crystal clear waters, linked by a small tunnel to the open sea.
The island's capital, Victoria, was renamed in 1887 in honour of the British queen, but locals know it as Rabat. It's a bustling place, undergoing renovation, but it's worth exploring its narrow winding streets where residents still leave keys in their front doors.
At the top of the town is the Citadel, designed to protect the citizens when pirates were sighted. Unfortunately, in 1651 the Ottomans successfully besieged it and 5,000 people were taken into slavery - almost the entire population of Gozo.
These days it houses a Baroque cathedral and a folklore museum but is still home to Gbejniet, a local speciality cheese. Rikardu, owner of the Ta' Rikardu wine bar, makes this fresh every day from unpasteurised sheep's or goat's milk, and is happy to demonstrate. Even better he serves it at his table with crispy bread called Hobz. Best of all is his home-made ravioli, stuffed with soft cheese and topped with delicious tomato sauce.
As I contemplate the marvellous views from the ramparts, I realise that, during my short stay, I've walked and biked the length and breadth of the island.
Getting around this way means you've more chance of meeting the locals and adapting to the slower pace of life here. I feel relaxed but it may require a few more visits before I can call myself an honorary Gozitan.
