Malta · West Malta
Fomm ir-Riħ
The wildest bay on the island — blue clay cliffs, a pebble shore, no development at all, and a land route that has been closed off.
Fomm ir-Riħ means "the mouth of the wind", and it sits on the west coast below Baħrija in a bowl of blue clay and limestone with nothing built on it. There is no kiosk, no car park at the shore, no umbrellas. It is the least developed stretch of accessible coast in Malta and it looks it.
The land approach has become a problem. The path down is steep and rough at the best of times, and access has been restricted in recent years over safety and private-property disputes — so the reliable way in now is from the water, either by boat or by paddling round from Ġnejna.
The shore is pebble rather than sand and the cliffs behind are fossil-bearing. Exposed to the west, which is what makes it dramatic and also what makes it a settled-weather proposition only.
⚠️ Land access here has changed more than once. If you intend to walk in rather than arrive by sea, check the current position before you set out.
Getting it right
- Getting there
- The footpath from Baħrija is steep, and access has been restricted over safety and private-land disputes. Verify before relying on it.
- When
- Settled weather. The west coast is not forgiving.
- How busy
- Very light, and getting lighter as the land route gets harder.
- Shape of the day
- The west coast is the long way round Malta — a committed day, not a casual detour.
Where it is
- Departure marina
- Destination
Sailing here
Boats we list that are berthed within reach of Fomm ir-Riħ:
Also on Malta
- St Paul's BayOne of the largest anchorages in the country, with good holding in sand and two uninhabited islands across the mouth of it.
- Coral LagoonA collapsed sea cave off the north coast — a circular pool of turquoise inside the rock, open to the sky, entered through an arch.
- Slugs BayA tiny pocket of sand between two rock arms below Selmun — too small to be busy and too awkward to reach on foot.
- Għar LapsiA sheltered rock pool under the Siġġiewi cliffs, with Filfla offshore and cave systems that divers come a long way for.