Short answer: the Ramblers Association of Malta (RAM) is a voluntary organisation that runs about 50 guided countryside walks a year, mostly on Sunday mornings, with expert walk leaders. Its walks are organised for members, but guests are welcome to try any walk and are invited to join if they enjoy it. Membership costs €10 for one year, €25 for three years or €50 for six. Walks are graded from easy to very hard and usually last two to three hours. The next walk on the October 2026 programme is Sunday 25 October in Żabbar and the Cottonera, starting at 09:00.
If you want one low-pressure way to meet people in Malta, this is it. You walk side by side for a couple of hours, through countryside most visitors never see, and conversation happens on its own. Nobody stares at you across a table, and there is always something to talk about: the view, the route, the carob tree that is supposedly a thousand years old.
Last checked: October 2026, from the association’s walks programme and membership pages.
Who the Ramblers Association of Malta are
The Ramblers’ Association of Malta is a voluntary organisation that promotes rambling through guided walks exploring Malta’s countryside and places of natural and cultural interest. It is also an environmental voice: walks come with a Green Country Code, and members care about access to the countryside. Expert walk leaders plan the routes, many of which leave paved roads for country lanes, valleys, cliff paths and woodland.
The walks programme: October 2026
The association organises about 50 walks a year. The October 2026 programme, as published:
| Date | Walk | Meeting point | Start | Grade | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 4 Oct | Ġnejna | Ġnejna Bay car park | 09:30 | Moderate, one steep incline | About 2 hours |
| Sun 11 Oct | Mġarr | Mġarr Farmers Bar | 09:00 | Easy to moderate | 2.5–3 hours |
| Wed 14 Oct | Munxar coastal walk | St Thomas Bay car park | 10:00 | Moderate, rough terrain | 2.5 hours |
| Sun 18 Oct | Miżieb (Simar, Xemxija Heritage Trail, Miżieb woodland, Wied il-Pwales) | Simar Nature Reserve | 09:30 | Easy | 2.5 hours |
| Sun 25 Oct | Żabbar and Cottonera | Main Gate, Il-Park ta’ San Klement, Żabbar | 09:00 | Easy to moderate | About 3 hours |
Check the walks programme page before each walk, as times and meeting points can change. The November programme is published on the same page.
What a typical walk looks like
The walk on Sunday 18 October 2026 is a good example of the format. The group met at the Simar Nature Reserve at 09:30, followed the Xemxija Heritage Trail to Miżieb, walked through the Miżieb woodland and returned through Wied il-Pwales: about two and a half hours, graded easy. Walks like this mix country lanes, valley paths and short rougher stretches, with stops along the way where the leader, or an invited expert, explains the landscape and its history. Check from the programme description whether a walk is a loop or ends somewhere else, so you can plan a lift or a bus home, and suggest a coffee nearby afterwards if you want to keep the conversation going. If you are at all unsure about the pace, walk near the leader for the first half hour or so and ask how the group usually handles breaks and regrouping on steeper sections.
How walks are graded
| Grade | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Easy | Occasional ramblers who prefer country lanes without much rough ground or steep inclines |
| Moderate | Average ramblers who can manage 3–4 hour stretches on uneven surfaces |
| Hard | Fit ramblers able to handle steep inclines and long stretches |
| Very hard | Hardy ramblers who love difficult challenges |
For a first walk, pick one graded easy or easy to moderate. You will see the countryside, meet the group and find out whether the pace suits you.
Membership and joining
- Try first: guests are welcome to try any walk.
- Membership: €10 for one year, €25 for three years, €50 for six years.
- What members get: the walks programme and other communications, and participation in the association’s events.
- How to join: through the membership page on the association’s website, or ask a walk leader after your first walk.
Who pays: walks themselves are free to join as a guest; membership is personal. If you drive to a meeting point with others, split the fuel. Coffee after the walk is pay your own, and it is where invitations to the next walk happen.
Your first walk
Your first walk box.
- Wear proper walking shoes and clothes suited to the season; paths are often rocky.
- Bring water, a small first-aid kit, sun protection and a snack.
- Keep belongings safe and stick to the trail suggested by the walk leader.
- Know your limits: choose walks graded for your fitness, and stop if a walk feels too difficult.
- Arrive 10 minutes early at the meeting point and introduce yourself to the leader as a guest.
- Getting there: many meeting points are reachable by bus with an early start; check the route the night before. Lifts are often arranged among walkers.
- Emergencies: report grass fires or emergencies on 112.
More than walks: rights of way and the countryside
The association describes rambling as walking at a leisurely pace while appreciating the natural, historical and cultural heritage of the places you pass, and its walks often bring in other experts to help interpret the landscape. It also campaigns. One of its main aims is to protect the public’s rights of way, both public paths and passages that people have used for generations, at a time when gates and “RTO” (reserved to owner) signs have spread across the countryside and it has become hard for walkers to tell legitimate barriers from abusive ones. It also calls for new public rights of way, and regularly objects to permits for development it considers harmful to the countryside and reports illegal development.
For a newcomer, that gives the walks an extra layer: you are not only seeing the landscape, you are hearing from people who know its history and the fights over access to it.
How the association is run
The Ramblers’ Association of Malta is a registered voluntary organisation (VO/0024). It is led by a six-member committee elected every three years at the Annual General Meeting under the association’s statute; the current committee lists Ingram Bondin as President and Margaret Farrugia as Walks Coordinator. Membership can be paid by credit card, bank transfer or cheque, although the one-year option cannot be paid by cheque.
Other walking groups affiliated with the Ramblers
Since 2023, several established walking organisations have affiliated with the association to support its work on the countryside and rights of way, which gives you more choice of walks:
- Leisure Ventures, set up by Bernard Schranz in the early 1990s, focuses on trekking as a leisure and educational activity and organises occasional trips abroad. In 1986 Schranz set a national record for the non-stop walk around Malta’s perimeter, covering it in 25 hours 48 minutes.
- XirCammini, a voluntary organisation founded in 2018, focuses on heritage and faith walks. It organises close to 100 walks a year and overseas trekking on the Caminos, and it established the Camino Maltes de Santiago de Compostela, a 3,600 km route.
If the Ramblers’ Sunday rhythm does not fit your week, an affiliated group can fill the gaps, and you will often meet the same faces on both.
The Green Country Code
The association asks everyone on its walks to follow its Green Country Code. In short: walk on paths as far as possible; do not trespass, damage or trample cultivated land; respect other countryside users; do not collect or harm plants and animals; do not litter or dump waste near the sea; avoid noise and light pollution, especially in caves or at night; do not light fires in vulnerable places; and know the protection status of the sites you pass through.
When to walk in Malta
Malta’s walking season runs from autumn to spring. October to May brings cooler temperatures, green fields after the first rains and wild flowers in spring. In July and August, long walks are hard work in the heat; if you walk in summer, start at dawn. That is why the Ramblers’ programme is busiest in the cooler months, and why October is a great time to start.
Why walking groups are good for meeting people
A guided walk solves the hardest part of meeting people: what to talk about. You have the route, the view and the shared effort. Groups mix ages and nationalities, and the regulars are used to new faces. After two or three walks, you will know names; after a season, you will have people to walk with on your own. For self-guided routes between group walks, see our hiking trails in Malta guide; for more groups, clubs to join in Malta and places to meet people in Malta. If you prefer a faster pace, our beach volleyball and climbing gym guides have more active options.
Ramblers Association of Malta FAQ
Can I join a Ramblers walk without being a member?
Yes. The association says guests are welcome to try any walk, and invites them to join if they enjoy it.
How much does it cost to join the Ramblers’ Association of Malta?
Membership is €10 for one year, €25 for three years or €50 for six years (checked October 2026).
When are the Ramblers’ walks?
About 50 walks a year, mostly on Sunday mornings starting at 09:00 or 09:30, with occasional midweek walks. The programme is published month by month on the association’s website.
How hard are the walks?
Walks are graded easy, moderate, hard or very hard, with durations usually around two to three hours. Pick an easy or easy-to-moderate walk for your first time.
Walk with people
The best views in Malta are at the end of a path, and they are better shared. Pick a Sunday, set an alarm and go.
Want to turn this into an actual plan? MeetNow is a free app for meeting people in person: a host posts a plan at a public place, says who pays (host pays, split, pay your own or free) and picks who joins. It is live in Malta now on the web, with the iPhone and Android apps coming to the App Store and Google Play soon: open MeetNow and see this week’s plans in Valletta, Sliema and St Julian’s.
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