Coronation Street · Byron
Ramla Bay
In Maltese: Ir-Ramla l-Ħamra
Ramla Bay is Gozo's largest red-sand beach, on the north coast below Xagħra and Nadur. Coronation Street filmed Eileen Grimshaw paddling here in 2007, and the BBC's Byron reportedly staged Shelley's funeral pyre on the sand.
What was filmed at Ramla Bay?
Coronation Street (1960)
Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) and Steve McDonald on the beach during their holiday. Eileen paddles in the shallows on the red sand. It played Itself (Gozo).
Byron (2003)
The beach cremation of Percy Bysshe Shelley, attended by Byron (Jonny Lee Miller). It played The Tuscan shore near Viareggio.
Reported by guides; not yet confirmed on set records.
About Ramla Bay
Ir-Ramla l-Ħamra ('the red sand') is a wide, gently shelving bay of orange-red sand backed by dunes and bamboo, between the Xagħra and Nadur ridges. There's no development apart from a few kiosks. Up on the western slope is Calypso's Cave, linked by legend to the Odyssey, and the remains of a Roman villa lie under the sand. A white statue of the Madonna stands near the shore. Because the backdrop is so unspoilt, productions have used it as a generic Mediterranean beach. In 2007 the Malta Independent reported Coronation Street filming on the beach with Sue Cleaver. Gozo location guides say Byron (2003) built Shelley's beach funeral pyre here. It's a protected Natura 2000 site, so stay off the dunes.
Best time to go
Early morning or late afternoon from May to October; avoid summer weekend middays when it's packed.
Questions people ask
How do I get to Ramla Bay by bus?+
Take route 302 from Victoria bus terminus to Ramla. It stops right by the beach.
Why is the sand at Ramla red?+
The sand gets its orange-red colour from iron-rich minerals washed down from the surrounding hills.
Sources
- Malta Independent — 'Coronation Street filming puts Malta back on radar' (2007)
- Scene On Gozo — Coronation Street filming locations
- Scene On Gozo — Byron
Exact spot not yet checked on site — we visit every location before launch.