Why this ride
An 82 km round trip from Żurrieq - roughly 2 h 32 in the saddle. The stops in between: Ta' Hagrat, Megalithic Temples of Malta and back through Ta' Hagrat. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ħaġar Qim and Megalithic Temples of Malta
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 82 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 32
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Ħaġar Qim
Ħaġar Qim stands on a windswept ridge at the southern end of Malta, with the sea below and a small rocky island, Filfla, on the horizon. The temple was built around 3600 to 3200 BC, which makes it older than Stonehenge and the pyramids, and it is built of huge blocks of coralline limestone, some of them several metres high. The tallest single stone, in the facade, is about five metres, and the whole structure is laid out in a pattern of curving chambers, like a clover leaf. Inside are altars, carved holes and doorways that hint at ceremonies we can only guess at.
Read the complete Ħaġar Qim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ħaġar Qim is where the day begins. Next is Ta' Hagrat.
2. Ta' Hagrat
Ta' Hagrat stands on a low ridge near the village of Mgarr in the north of Malta, and it ranks among the oldest buildings anywhere. The temple was built in the Neolithic period, around 3600 to 3200 BC, centuries before Stonehenge and the pyramids, and its limestone walls and paved forecourt still show the shape of a small sanctuary. A short distance away lies the site of Skorba, another early settlement. Together they belong to the group of Megalithic Temples of Malta, which are among the oldest free-standing monuments on earth.
Read the complete Ta' Hagrat write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ta' Hagrat comes up about 15 km into the recorded legs. Next is Megalithic Temples of Malta.
3. Megalithic Temples of Malta
Before there were pyramids in Egypt, or Stonehenge on its plain, people on a small Mediterranean island were building enormous stone temples, and some of them are still standing. The group at Ġgantija, on the island of Gozo, goes back to roughly 3600 BC, which makes it among the oldest free-standing monuments in the world. The walls are made of huge limestone blocks, some weighing several tonnes, and they curve into rounded chambers like the lobes of a clover leaf. Local legend said they were built by a giantess, and the name comes from the word for giant.
Read the complete Megalithic Temples of Malta write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 40 km into the recorded legs you reach Megalithic Temples of Malta. Next is back through Ta' Hagrat.
4. back through Ta' Hagrat
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ta' Hagrat write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Ta' Hagrat, late in the day. Next is Ħaġar Qim.
5. Ħaġar Qim
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ħaġar Qim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Ħaġar Qim. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Ħaġar Qim to Ta' Hagrat
Ħaġar Qim → Ta' Hagrat is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ta' Hagrat to Megalithic Temples of Malta
Ta' Hagrat → Megalithic Temples of Malta is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Megalithic Temples of Malta to back through Ta' Hagrat
Megalithic Temples of Malta → back through Ta' Hagrat is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Ta' Hagrat to Ħaġar Qim
back through Ta' Hagrat → Ħaġar Qim is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.