Mgarr ix-Xini is a gorge on the south side of Gozo that terminates at a beautiful sheltered beach. Gozo is…compact. Towns and villages are concentrated onto high ground inland. Almost the entire coast of the island is one big trail because of this, which allowed me to go on remarkable walks along clifftops. The gorge is something else again, a verdant exception to the island’s dry Mediterranean brush. My hike up the gorge from the sea saw me scramble up cliffs and jump and dodge my way up scree slopes and around boulders.

Fuck, you know, everyone comes home from Malta and talks about the beaches and resorts and bars, while my best experiences were a cliff hike and a gorge hike.