Although we hadn’t originally planned to cross back to Sicily so soon, the winds told us what to do – south to Monastir would have been hard work, so we had a lovely day crossing here instead.  Pantelleria is almost a half-way stop to Sicily and this route to Malta is slightly shorter than via Monastir & Lampedusa (and is less of a worry regarding refugees).  I’ll bet none of you reading this had ever heard of the island eh?  It looks like the winds will keep us here for a day or two, so we’re off to find the tourist info and a map.  The question is, are we going to explore to the top (800m+) of the extinct volcano that forms this island?  The alternative is a 50km+ cycle around it, hum… (Not quite sure how it’s that far around an island only 10 miles long, but that’s what the info says).

Red Panda alongside the town quay (the “marina” in the pilot book was really grim), plus the volcanic peak in the distance & fort in the foreground made from menacing dark volcanic rock: