2018 has already been off to a very interesting start, and the latest controversy comes from the unlikely world of fitness technology. 

The globally popular (and seemingly harmless) fitness-tracking Fitbit smartwatches found themselves in a whirlwind of online squabbles when news broke that the fitness tracking app Strava had inadvertently given away the location of secret military bases around the world. As it turns out, soldiers’ daily routes around (hidden) military outposts’ perimeters were uploaded alongside civilians’ daily jogging routines. Back on the tiny island of Malta, however, we can use Strava’s global heat map for more harmless research.

As of last month, 25 million people worldwide use Fitbits or similar fitness trackers, with the smartwatches and their respective apps logging their daily jogs, morning walks, weekly swims, or regular cycling treks. When you put all of that data together (which is exactly what Strava have been doing over the last two years), you get a bird’s-eye perspective of some of the island’s most popular workout routines, updated every month… just in case you want to figure out which routes are the least travelled. 

Two quick disclaimers: Athletes may opt out of having their activities’ data aggregated onto the site by updating their privacy settings, and areas with very little activity might not even register at all on the map.

Initial thoughts: Ok, that’s a lot of data

Well… yes. 

The Strava Global Heatmap instantly gives users all the data, so you might want to tone things down a bit. As it stands, the map is showing us all the workout activities which happened in the lsat two years around the island; walking, cycling and swimming. 

This is where we need to start toning things down to specific categories.

Swimming is, as expected, popular all over, but some places definitely stick out

Sure, Malta being a tiny and mostly warm island would of course lead to such data. However, popular patterns are instantly recognisable. 

Upon zooming into the most intensely coloured areas, we soon start to realise that areas like Sliema, Buġibba and Birżebbuġa are definitely the most popular swimming spots. Also, the island’s favourite northern sandy beaches (the Għajn Tuffieħa-Ġnejna duo in the west and Għadira in the east) give off a blinding amount of data around their own perimeters.

Interestingly, routes like the Gozo Channel and the Żurrieq/Għar Lapsi-Filfla trip are also listed down, and we’re willing to bet that these are mostly people on boats with activated Fitbits… unless someone’s just casually swimming out to sea as part of their workout routine. The perimeter of beautiful Comino is also, as expected, a swimming hotspot.

Another noteworthy mention is Gozo, which has two particular hotspots – the northern side of the island around the Marsalforn and Ramla Bay areas, and a very intense circle around the Dwejra area which is probably a mix of swimmers and divers.

When it comes to walking, the situation is a bit different

With Malta being the tiny island that it is, we don’t have a lot of unbeaten paths that haven’t already been used for someone else’s workout.

Taking into account some inaccuracies due to constantly-active Fitbits (otherwise some people would be literally walking on water and crossing the Gozo Ferry), some of the island’s most popular walking routes do quite literally shine bright.

Again, the eastern coastal areas between the Grand Harbour and St. Julian’s all are very popular for walks, with the promenade between Paceville and Sliema going from bright yellow to literally white. However, the greatest thing about this data is how nearly every town and village around the island shows some pretty heartwarming data when it comes to walking trends around Malta.

Central areas like Mosta and Ta’ Qali particularly stick out, and there’s something very satisfying about seeing the thousands of rings around popular grounds like the University track, imagining all the calories that were burnt in the process of the data being collected.

Cycling routes literally trace out a map of the whole archipelago

If you turn off the satellite imagery and just leave the cycling routes, you’ll still end up with a nearly accurate map of Malta. The situation is very similar in Gozo.

Of course, most of the routes seem to have no choice but to follow the island’s major arteries and main roads, but some treks lie off the beaten path.

Most notably, Comino has some great cycling routes with a view on offer, and they’re mostly spread out around the tiny island’s entire area.

What are your favourite workout spaces? Let us know in the comments below and tag someone 

READ NEXT: 7 Fun Ways To Work Out In Malta

David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).