Hiking near the Red Tower (or Fort St. Agatha) in Mellieha

Feeling all energetic today, so I decided to go explore the area near the Red Tower in Mellieha. Took an early bus to Mellieha, stopped at Mellieha bay and started my hike from there.

The hilly road that leads to the tower is very steep but well worth it if you want to savour some stunning views!

The tower was built in 1649 by Grand Master Lascaris and it’s official name is Fort St. Agatha. It’s more commonly known as the Red Tower though because um it’s painted red :)

The tower has a boxy design and has four turrets. It’s one of the largest towers on the Maltese Islands. During the Knights of Malta period, the knights placed some cannons in it and it is believed that some 49 soldiers were stationed here. During those times it was the main defence point for the Northern part of Malta. The outer walls of the tower are some four metres thick!

The main reasons why the tower was built in this area is because from the roof top, the knights could get a good view of Mellieha Bay and so notice immediately if the enemy was approaching by sea. Another reason is that from where the red tower is, the knights could maintain communications between Gozo and Comino and also Mdina.

During the British period, the tower kept its military role and was used as a signaling station in World War II.

Recently, the tower was also equipped as a radar station by the Malta Armed Forces.

The tower has been recently restored and is now open for visitors, from Monday to Sunday, from 10.00 am till 1.00 pm.

I stopped for a breather once I reached the top of the hill. The tower is so imposing … I bet it used to scare the hell out of any enemies that were thinking of invading Malta :)

Good thing I didn’t do this in summer though, it would have been too hot to hike here! In my opinion, walking in Malta should be left for spring, autumn or winter … unless you’re just walking to the nearest beach :)

I could have stayed there forever, it was so peaceful and nice ... but after a while I was getting hungry so I decided to walk back to Mellieha Bay and grab something to eat. Ice-cream sounded nice too :)

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26 November 2009: Wenzu goes hiking near the Red Tower in Mellieha