The Ramblers’ Association has launched its Autumn Walk Programme (October to December) with over 25 walks to be held mainly on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The walks are led by experienced and knowledgeable walk leaders. The treks include scenic routes through some of the finest and most exhilarating zones in Malta and Gozo.

Participants will explore the rich archaeological, geological and historical heritage that dots our countryside, with exciting forays into remote scenic locations and a trail that includes some notable urban areas.

The autumn walks are around three hours long and graded according to the state of the terrain.

The Qlejja tal-Baħrija trail on November 2 offers one of the most exciting views, with the shimmering sea and blue skies stretching as far as Gozo and above historic Ras (Headland of the Hermit) and secluded Fomm ir-Riħ (Mouth of the Wind).

There is also the added attraction of a Bronze Age village with extant remains including ancient silos in the shape of bell-shaped wells that were used for the storage of grain, water and oil.

A rare square girna (corbelled hut).

There are many rewards for the compulsive rambler roaming our countryside. In spite of their size, our islands can still offer thrills of the unexpected in the form of the rare square girna (corbelled hut), vernacular art, ancient cart ruts, aedicules and derelict crumbling chapels.

These provide the peace and quiet still enjoyed in the wilderness rambling of Binġemma Heights, Ras il-Pellegrin in Malta and the remote Ras il-Wardija trail in Gozo.

Such idyllic locations provide the discerning hiker with consolation of a benign ancient rural environment. This allows for spiritual en-richment far from the madding crowds.

Especially in late autumn, our archipelago offers a veritable floral paradise with fields and country lanes bursting into a riot of wild flowers

The Misqa trail reminds me of a few years ago when I slowly inched my way from the mysterious Misqa Heights along a marked narrow pathway with Mnajdra temple below me and the islet of Filfla in the far dustance.

I was regaled with an unusual sense of contentment − the fantastic view seemed like a framed engraving with blue skies and the Mediterranean crashing on the forbidding rocks below. I watched the dramatic shift of topography and the serene enjoyment where nothing happens or changes, heightened by visions of our ancestral past.

The late November walks in idyllic Gozo impress upon us the interminable beauty of the lesser known valleys on the east coast. Yes, like Wordsworth “my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils”.

A couple of years ago I cautiously rambled with the affable late Qala gentleman Horace Mercieca not far from the secluded San Anton redoubt along banks of scented narċis (narcissus tazetta) in the enchanting Qala valleys.

Such moments evoke the opening lines of the tramp-poet William H. Davies who had a deep love for the simple natural rewards, a feeling which he conveys in the poem Leisure. He chides those who ignore the beauty around us with these words: “What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.”

The Baħrija wayside trails take in Malta’s Wild West with the mysterious Blata tal-Melħ, Ras id-Dawwara and legendary Miġra Ferħa, the traditional rocky cleft where Count Roger reputedly landed in 1091.

Exclusively for the hardened rambler is the nine-hour Gozo Long Walk on December 2. Wild and rough in places, it presents our young members with the opportunity to test their endurance among the most beautiful valleys in our sister island.

As I write this pictorial evocation to our countryside, rock formations and other natural gems scattered all over our ‘fair and pleasant’ isles, I cannot restrain myself from waxing lyrical over the infinite blessings on our island home.

The countryside in late autumn.

Especially in late autumn, our archipelago offers a veritable floral paradise with fields and country lanes bursting into a riot of wild flowers. The pyramidal orchid is queen of this floral domain.

The rambler can marvel at floral sights decking the gentle hills which look bare and forbidding in the hot summer months.

English mystic poet William Blake once remarked about seeing heaven in a wild flower, in which case an endless paradise awaits the genuine rambler who has a feel for nature.

The trek along the Victoria Lines − stretching from Madliena Heights on the east coast to the remote Fomm ir-Riħ on the west − built in the late 19th century was intended to bisect the island into two distinct zones to give the Grand Harbour further protection.

These cross fertile valleys and ascend steep slopes, punctuated by massive fortifications at Madliena, Mosta and Binġemma heights, exceptionally suited for wilderness rambling where one can explore the cliffs honey-combed with caves and caverns.

The dramatic change in the Maltese islands after the first autumn rains gives life to our countryside. This offers the rambler some of the most exciting treks in the central Mediterranean basin.

The Ramblers’ Association of Malta welcomes new members to join in their intensive walk programmes organised throughout the year.

All those interested can contact the association through their website www.ramblersmalta.com or by sending an e-mail to ram205@gmail.com or by snail mail to Ramblers Association, P.O. Box 108, Sliema, SLM 1000.

Lino Bugeja is honorary president of the Ramblers’ Association.