3 Islands of Malta Expedition
By Nicole Herridge
Last year I navigated the peak of constant loss, grief, and the aftermath of escaping an emotionally abusive relationship.
Prior to this, my knee swelled and I was diagnosed with reactive arthritis. The dull, constant pain meant that as a grown adult I was attempting to walk down a hill holding onto my mum’s arm, feeling as though I had aged sixty years. Getting up from the floor was impossible without help. At one stage, I wondered if this was my future self.
Fast forward to ten days hiking the landscape of my ancestors Malta, Gozo and Comino.
But the expedition didn’t begin when I landed on the island.
This journey started ten months earlier, during one of the most emotionally testing times of my life. Navigating grief in a healthy way with eight deaths and counting alongside the aftermath of an abusive relationship. I began being coached by Jon, and a steady, healthy rhythm started to form. A forward-moving pace I didn’t even realise was doing me the world of good.
When you are emotionally exhausted, it is not easy to begin. Teamed with fear yet driven by determination to rebuild strength in my knee I was set on reaching my goal. I remember early conversations with Jon where I said I needed to forget I even had reactive arthritis. Forget that it could return at any time. That was why I was training.
It is that determination that passion and drive that moves us forward. We all have it within us. It simply shows up at different stages for different people.
Soon I was training five days a week. I was even running the one exercise I used to say I disliked. By the end of my coaching block, I was amazed at how much both my body and mind had advanced. I was running with ease. The power of consistency truly makes a difference.
Day One: Cospicua to Marsaxlokk
My first day, setting off from Cospicua to Marsaxlokk, I was nervous. Old fears whispered, what if? How do you get through those first villages?
But there is no point entertaining those thoughts. Once you put one foot in front of the other, you begin to move at your own human pace.
I noticed elderly members of the village gathered for coffee, talking and laughing. Socialising in a way we so often miss in the UK. I knew these villages would not always be in my view. People too moments like this can become rare. So I slowed down. I had my map and navigation, but asking locals formed connections with the natives of my heritage.
Through the Blue Grotto
Walking during Malta’s controversial hunting season was an adjustment. As a solo female hiker, seeing a local with a gun over his shoulder is not something we’re used to in the UK. But he was simply walking his land.
I kept reminding myself to be present.
A father and daughter walked ahead of me, talking freely. Sharing stories. Getting healthy together. The simplicity of it struck me.
An elderly man carrying shopping invited me into his farm to see his animals. I nearly declined conscious I had miles ahead. But this wasn’t about racing. Coaching hadn’t prepared me to hurry; it had prepared me to celebrate healing. To walk at a human pace. To connect.
Arriving at the Blue Grotto brought back childhood memories the first place my parents had taken me when I visited Malta. Standing by the water, surrounded by hills, felt like coming full circle.
Dingli Cliffs & Storm Lessons
The stretch from Dingli Cliffs toward Ċirkewwa tested me. The map showed a path; reality showed a locked gate. An elderly local perched high on a dry stone wall reassured me:
“It’s fine to go around. Better than going back down that hill.”
He was right.
Soon I faced another gate and found myself in a beautiful garden with no clear exit. Panic flickered. Being 5ft 5 doesn’t help when climbing walls. But coaching isn’t only physical. It teaches pause. Assess. Think.
I ignored the scratches, found a foothold, and climbed.
Then came the storm.
Dark clouds gathered over Comino. I initially thought, that’s another island. But the landscape told a different story. The storm was coming fast. Lightning struck the cliff top shortly after I descended. I have never felt so close to nature’s power.
Part of coaching is trusting your decisions. I chose to stop and return to that section later. Strength is also knowing when to pause.
Gozo: Beauty and Adaptability
Gozo was wilder than I expected. Higher cliffs than Dingli. Unmarked routes. Paths that disappeared into private property. Yet each day I reached my destination. Coaching had rebuilt trust in my own judgement.
The landscape was breathtaking delicate white flowers, towering prickly pears, endless ocean beside me.
Soon my videographer and assistant joined. I hadn’t anticipated the responsibility I would feel navigating not just myself, but a team. This section wasn’t just about walking; it was about documenting the journey to inspire future mixed-heritage generations.
An elderly Gozitan man I’d met the day before invited us for a BBQ at his hand-built home overlooking one of the island’s most famous beaches. Simplicity. Kindness. Conversations that felt like life lessons from someone seventy years young.
The Cliffs of Xlendi
At one point, we reached a cliff edge with our destination clearly below but no visible route down.
You either allow doubt to take over, or you breathe and trust there is a way. There always is.
A couple appeared, confirming the path. It wasn’t easy steep, almost vertical at points but it existed.
Floating later in the sea at Xlendi Bay, I lay like a starfish, sun on my face.
I’m here. I’m doing this.
All those months of coaching meant I could recover each day and hike again, no matter how steep the terrain.
Comino & Completion
Comino required care and respect for the land. Paths weren’t always obvious. Landscapes blurred in repetition. But the island carried a quiet sense of history. By late morning the tourists arrived and we were already leaving.
Returning solo to Malta, I realised I had walked more than half the expedition alone yet I never felt lonely.
I completed the lightning-strike section. Faced more cliff collapses and blocked paths. Learned to adapt. As Jon says: You get it done.
In Rabat, elderly relatives welcomed me with a breakfast full of love. The final stretch toward Valletta took me past ancient churches and busy roads very different from the silent cliffs I had grown used to.
At the docks, another obstacle: new security rules blocked my path. So I rerouted.
And finally, I reached Valletta and the Upper Barrakka Gardens.
I did it.
I didn’t walk these islands to find myself I had already done that work. I walked to see what came next. To prove to myself that I am adaptable, resilient, and capable of walking the lands of my ancestors with strength and grace.
And for that, I am deeply grateful.
This is only a glimpse of the journey. A book will follow, alongside a short outdoor film to be submitted to the renowned Kendal Mountain Festival.
Next year, I plan two expeditions one UK-based and one in Malta sharing the film and book through Q&As, photography exhibitions, and art.
Visit TinyGatherings.co.uk to follow the journey and see where it leads next.
All photos credited to @Colinherberthowell.
