Spectacular shots of rolling green hills in the north of Malta dominate our Instagram feeds in winter, but come summer, things quickly turn blue. Beyond our gorgeous beaches and ethereal underwater landscapes, however, lies a countryside that bears the brunt of a long, dry summer.

Taking to the hill overlooking two of the island’s most photogenic sandy beaches, Instagram user and self-professed “guy who walks to places” James Walker shared a different side to Lippija Tower than most people are used to seeing.

With the dangerous but beautiful precipice and the expansive beach under the tower nowhere to be seen, James’ photo instead focuses on the landscape behind and around the tower. And as is usual for Malta’s climate, our garigue / xag?ri environment, and this time of the year, it’s all brown and yellow… straight out of a scene from Mad Max.

“Each year by August, the once green-fields of Malta have all become desert landscapes,” James explained to his Instagram followers.

Summer in Malta is as dry as they get. According to climate data accumulated over 30 years, the island has an average of one day of precipitation for both June and August, with July peaking at a big fat zero. In fact, July’s average precipitation is around 0.012 inches.

And while this summer was wetter, windier and slightly fresher than usual, it still was still a brutal one. Sizzling days were yet again the norm, with July enjoying an amazing 363 hours of sunshine. 28th July alone clocked 13.9 hours of sunshine… which is a lot if you’re a plant with an already-limited water supply.

Sometimes, though, it takes photos like James Walker’s to really help put things into perspective.

Greener days… the area around Lippija Tower in winter

Starting walking as therapy, James Walker explained on his Instagram account how the activity became an addiction.

“I’m not a photographer, just here to keep memories,” he said of his online posts. “And hopefully, to inspire.”

Tag someone who can’t wait for colder, greener days!

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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).