Chadwick Lakes, The Victoria Lines & Bingemma Valley Nature Walking Tour

What your day looks like

This walking tour combines three important sites located in the central part of Malta: The Chadwick Lakes, The Victoria Lines, and Binġemma Escarpments. The Chadwick Lakes are artificial lakes constructed by Sir Osbert Chadwick, a British engineer, in the late 19th century, they are Malta's only freshwater stream big enough to be called a rivulet, providing a tranquil environment for the people to enjoy. The structure is made up of a complex system of well-planned small dams along “Wied il-Qlejgħa” (Qlejgħa Valley), which is the largest valley in Malta. This valley has been recently renovated and features an abundant and rapid water course with typical wetland flora and fauna including the endemic painted frog, indigenous plants, insects, tadpoles, frogs, crustaceans, riparian trees, and vast areas of flooded waters, sometimes with floating buttercups or other aquatic plants. The Victoria Lines are a line of fortifications that span 12 km along the width of Malta, dividing the north of the island from the more heavily populated south. Mimicking the Great Wall of China (on a smaller scale) this wall was built by the British at the sides of high escarpments at the end of the 20th century, at the time this complex network of linear fortifications was a unique monument of military architecture. These elevated rocky plateaux offer panoramic views towards the villages of Mġarr and Mellieħa and further north towards the island of Gozo. Finally, Binġemma exposes Malta’s rich flora with numerous garigue-type shrubs and wild orchids. Moreover, it gives this tour a unique sight of Paleo-Christian rock-hewn tombs, which are amongst the largest (in number) in the Maltese islands, a visit inside these tombs is included during the tour. The tour ends near the rustic chapel of Binġemma, this gorgeous chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Itria was built in 1680 and remains in service today.