In the summer of 2019, Pierre Farrugia was struggling to put his socks on. 

“I weighed 138 kilos and could barely move,” he recalls.

His condition prompted his decision to start walking as a way to lose weight – and it eventually took him places not many other people have been to.

First taking to paved roads, Farrugia soon started trekking on less beaten paths.

“The more I did it, the more I liked it. I was discovering more of Malta,” he says.

Not long afterwards, the 50-year-old started documenting his adventures on video. 

Now, 140 videos later and 20 kilos lighter, Farrugia has amassed a loyal following who tune in to his weekly adventure vlogs.

He treks but also rows his kayak, abseils and caves to spots many locals are not even aware of.   

Most of Farrugia’s YouTube followers are between 30 to 50 years old but elderly people often reach out to him as well.  

“Maltese seniors who live in Australia write to me saying that I’m bringing back fond childhood memories for them,” he says.  

“Some are unable to get on a plane to visit Malta.”

The majority of Farrugia’s audience are Maltese but his choice to use English in his videos means that over a third of his viewers are tuning in from overseas. 

Many of his international followers are from the UK, Australia, the US and Germany.  

“My English is what it is, I use Maltese-English,” Farrugia smiles.  

He’s received criticism for it as people ask why he speaks in English if he loves Malta so much.  

“YouTube is an international platform and I aim to let everyone know about Malta and its beauty,” he replies. 

Farrugia took Times of Malta on a short hike to Wied Qirda, in the limits of Qormi, stopping to quickly explore the first chamber of Għar Ħanżir. 

In the cave, also known as Għar is-Slaleb, Farrugia pointed out the cross engravings and scratched-out dates found across the cave. One seemingly read “1861”. 

“The place looks like a medieval church,” he said.  

Farrugia has explored several caves in Malta. Among them, Birżebbuġa’s Għar il-Friefet, where he crawls through suffocatingly tight spaces in the 30-minute video.

 “I was once claustrophobic,” he says. 

As in many of his adventures, Farrugia was flanked by two fellow vloggers, Angelo Caruana and Vince Pukka, when he visited the Birżebbuġa cave.

On other occasions, he is joined by his partner, Sharon Randich who supports his passion. “She gives me time off,” he jokes.

But Randich also comes up with vlog ideas of her own.

In one video, Farrugia and Randich hop through eight Gozo beaches by quadbike.

“That was her idea,” Farrugia says of the video seen by 6,000 viewers. 

Farrugia sees his videos as a way to entertain but also educate and inform about interesting places in Malta that people might not know about.

“One of the messages I send is to know your limits,” Farrugia says. 

In one video at the Blata tal-Melħ, he describes why he did not jump across a crevice of around a metre-and-a-half in width.  

“You never have to be pushed by peer pressure; if you don’t feel safe don’t do it,” he says in the video. 

“If I fall and hurt myself, my family will suffer,” he adds for emphasis.

Answering questions as he guided Times of Malta through the rocky and uneven paths of Wied Qirda, Farrugia stopped in his tracks and picked up a piece of what looked like clay. 

“This was probably the handle of an amphora,” he says before putting the piece back where he found it. 

Farrugia stresses the importance of leaving a place the same or better than you’ve found it, to “leave no trace”. 

The way to preserve Malta’s beauty, he argues, is not by keeping spots secret but by teaching people to be responsible. 

“If you can use the path, don’t walk across the grass. If people left no trace, there would be no issues with camping anywhere.” 

Construction is one thing that worries Farrugia.

“Everyone knows how small Malta is and, as time goes by, more buildings are going up”. 

“We need more green spaces and parks,” he adds, recalling a round-Comino hike during which he was stopped by signs saying “no entry” and “construction site”.

“With the world’s stress, the countryside gives peace of mind.”