Windsor Nature Park
Windsor Nature Park
From Thomson Plaza we walked
north along Upper Thomson Road to Venus Drive where we turned into the car-park. We walked
to the end of the car-park for the trailhead at Venus Loop.
We walked along this until
the first junction where we turned right into the Squirrel Trail. We kept walking
until the entrance to the boardwalk. We climbed the steps to the raised boardwalk. One could also follow the earth trail that runs parallel to the boardwalk as it would
eventually meet at the final junction of the boardwalk. At the end of
the platform boardwalk we turned left and followed signage for the Ranger Station.
Here we continued on the road.
Raised boardwalk
Trails to the Ranger Station
We skipped the first trail on the left as it would lead us to the MacRitchie Reservoir entrance.
The
next three turning would all lead to the Ranger Station. The first is the
longest and is part of the Terentang Trail. Eventually this trail would reach a bend with a number of large stones
behind which would be the start of an obscure trail to the Shinto Shrine.
Recently two teenagers lost their way while looking for it. They were
rescued by the police and rangers by boat. They were located using a
British app called what3words. Basically every 3m by 3m place on earth
is given a combination of 3 words. The app would give 3 words to your
current location which rescuers could use to find you. See https://what3words.com/products/what3words-app/
The
next trail is meant for those returning from the TreeTop Walk to Venus Drive. The intention is to separate the crowds on weekends.
We however
preferred the third trail which we call the employees entrance to the Ranger Station. This is the shortest way to the Ranger Station.
The Ranger Station contains offices for the staff, toilets and water cooler - a
pleasant stop before people venture for the TreeTop Walk. The TreeTop Walk is closed until 2Q next year for repairs and improvement.
Ranger Station
Pipeline Trail (Rifle Range Link)
After a
short break at the Ranger Station we continued on the Terentang Trail
and Sime Track to the pipeline trail that will lead us to Rifle Range Road. To reach
the trail we turned right after Petaling Hut and after crossing the
bridge over a small stream. The stream contains water from the spillway
releasing water from Upper Peirce Reservoir
Along this trail we had
to cross another stream. We used to get our shoes wet but recently
stones were placed here allowing us to keep our shoes dry. Finally we
reached the beginning of the pipeline trail. It runs along the security
fence of ST Kinetics. This trail is interesting as it has several
undulating slopes to tackle. Efforts are now ongoing to fill up some of
the cracks along the trail eroded by rain water.
Rifle Range Road
Just before accessing Rifle Range Road we had a short water break than started the final hike along the road to Jalan Anak Bukit.
Along here we passed the satellite station before walking above the Bukit Timah Expressway.
Just before the Jalan Anak Bukit Flyover we walked past the Rifle Range Nature Park being under construction.
At
the end of the road we managed to experience a short part of the
improved rail corridor with its brownish hard surface. Finally we
emerged onto Jalan Anak Bukit and crossed over to Beauty World where we
ended our walk.
Our Route
Map data ©2020 Google, URA
