Pillar 07 · Walks & Nature

Walking in Żejtun in Summer: Heat-Aware Routes

Maltese summer heat is real. From mid-June to mid-September, the temperature is regularly in the mid-thirties, the shade is sparse, and the walks that work in March or October can be genuinely dangerous in August. Here is the heat-aware version.

This article is a stub. We’ll keep adding seasonal practical notes.

The summer rules

Three rules. Walk early or late. Start by 7am or wait until after 5pm. The hours in between are for shade, swimming, or a long lunch. Carry more water than you think you need. A litre per person per hour of walking, minimum, in July and August. Wear a hat. A wide brim and a light long-sleeved shirt will outperform sunscreen alone. Beyond those: avoid the most exposed routes (the Delimara peninsula in August is brutal), pick walks with sea access at the end so you can swim, and take advantage of village squares for shade breaks. The Żejtun–Marsascala walk is doable early in the morning; the St Peter’s Pool walk is best done either as a very early start or by bus to Marsaxlokk and walking only the final stretch.

[LOCAL FACT — Mattew to confirm summer opening of any drinking-water fountains in town and the safest swimming spots within reach of the heat-aware routes.]

Heat-illness signs

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke are real risks on Maltese summer walks. Early signs to watch for in yourself or a companion: dizziness, nausea, a headache that comes on suddenly, skin that’s stopped sweating despite the heat, and confusion. The response: get into shade immediately, drink water, cool the skin with anything available — a wet cloth, a damp shirt, dipping arms in cold water — and rest. Heatstroke (loss of consciousness, very high body temperature, no sweating) is a medical emergency: call 112. The good news is that most heat illness is preventable with early starts, water discipline, and a willingness to abandon a walk if conditions turn.

What this article will cover

  • Walks ranked by summer suitability
  • Best times of day for each
  • What to wear and carry
  • Heat-illness signs and what to do
  • Water-fountain locations along common routes
  • Walks to skip until October

Read more on this pillar

Part of our Walks & Nature pillar. Pair with to Marsascala, when to visit, and the rain plan.

Mattew Cassar

Resident · Writer

Mattew writes zejtun.com from a flat above his grandfather’s old workshop on Triq San Girgor. He has lived in Żejtun for twenty-three of his thirty-one years.