Round Island Walk - East Coast Park to Marina Bay Sands

Round Island Walk 2013 or Walk Around Singapore in 10 days

This came about when one member shared a video of some seniors going around Taiwan on motorbikes. I commented that it would be easier to cycle in Singapore but since cycling has logistics issues he said why not walk around the island. So the idea was hatched to walk round the island in stages. When we come to the end of one leg we would continue where we left off on the next walk.

Camping at East Coast Park

We would try to keep as near to the coastline as possible by walking along the nearest trails, park connectors or roads. The exception is Tuas and Safti. Below is the route for the Round Island Walk 2013. It would consist of 10 legs each about 10-15 km in length so the total distance is about 130 km. We would start at the East Coast Lagoon. The last leg would end at the East Coast Lagoon Food Village where we would celebrate the completion of the whole route and claim bragging rights and bore our family members and friends to death about this 'epic' walk. We would also celebrate 5 years of walking all over Singapore together.

So for the next 9 weeks there will be little route planning required as all we have to do is follow the route shown below. We do have to deviate at times to ensure we pass the appropriate places to refuel our bodies and suitable termination of the relevant leg.

Leg 1 East Coast Park to Marina Bay Sands

We gathered at the Lagoon View bus stop and walked around the condominium to the underpass to gain access to the East Coast Park. We went by the Lagoon and followed the park connector all the way to the Fort Road exit. The weather was excellent but there were few people around this time of the morning. The early morning walkers/joggers have already finished their bit. Just after the Siglap Canal we met up with 2 other members.

Gardens by The Bay East

Near the junction of Tanjong Katong Road was the holding area for the fishermen's boats. A group of them were seated around shooting the breeze. They apparently had enough catch for the day and were not going to heed the consultant's advice to catch more fish.

From Fort Road we walked to the Jalan Batu Market and Food Centre at Block 4A behind the 2 petrol stations for lunch. The Tanjong Rhu Wanton Mee was most popular so we had to queue.

Kite Flying at the Marina Barrage

After lunch we walked along the Geylang Park Connector which became the Tanjong Rhu Promenade and under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge to Gardens by the Bay East. This garden has a 1.5km trail all the way to the Marina Barrage. We came across 2 photographers with the biggest lenses that I have seen mounted on tripods. They were walking with these to take pictures of some crows perched on top of the trees. We noticed that there were more birds in the adjacent secondary forests  than in the garden itself probably because of more varied vegetation.

We crossed the Marina Barrage and observed that construction was still going on for  the west side of the undersea road tunnel. On the rooftop some students were either flying kites or throwing frisbees watched by their teachers.

As we walked toward the Bay South Garden, we saw that the Satay Club was operating. So we took a break After that we hurriedly walked past the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome to the Helix Bridge which was our termination point as the sky looked threatening.

Round Island Walk 2013 Route
Blue is the colour for the legs not travelled. After a leg has been completed it will be changed to red.

View Round Island Walk 2013 in a larger map

Kallang Basin and Marina Reservoir Walk

For this walk we circumnavigated both the Kallang Basin and the Marina Reservoir. We would then have crossed 3 rivers and walked through 4 parks viz. Geylang River, Kallang River, Rochor River, Gardens by the Bay (Bay East, Bay South and Bay Central) and the Kallang Riverside Park. Bay Central is still under construction.

Kayaking at Kallang Basin

We started at Nicholl Highway at the bus stop and used the overhead bridge to cross over to the northern side of Nicholl Highway that would allow us access to the Kallang Riverside Park. This overhead bridge used to serve the hordes of soccer fans eagerly heading for the old National Stadium. The stadium is now being rebuilt to serve a modern day population. It will be a fully integrated sports and lifestyle complex.

1960s Knicks Knacks at Singapore Food Trail, Singapore Flyer

Kallang Riverside Park
We walked along the coastline in the park toward the Kallang MRT Station to meet up with 2 other members. The walkway here is lined with coconut trees. To get to the park where the gasworks used to be situated we crossed Sir Arthur's Bridge along Geylang Road. At the Kallang Riverside Park is the site of former Kallang Gasworks that produced town gas until 1998. They have rebuilt the external skeleton of Gasholder No. 3 as a memorial of its past.

Helix Bridge

As it was about lunch time, we went to the nearby North Bridge Road hawker centre. After that we went to another hawker centre at Beach Road not to eat but to go upstairs to check out the shops that served generations of National Service boys to replenish their army supplies. One of our members came here to buy a Victorinox Swiss Army pocket knife.

Back at the Riverside Park we walked under Nicoll Highway. The Kallang Sea Sports Club is situated here with their students out on the water taking lessons on their kayak. The Kallang Riveside Park then merged into Gardens Bay Central.

The footpath continued under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge where it runs parallel to the F1 Track. We walked past the F1 Pit Building. This is adjacent to the Singapore Flyer. There is now a hawker food centre and this was where we had a break. This is called the Singapore Food Trail with a theme of hawker food in the '60s. Many items from this era are on display here next to the food stalls.

Gardens by the Bay South
After the break we crossed the Helix Bridge. It won the World’s Best Transport Building award at the prestigious World Architecture Festival Awards (WAF Awards) 2010. At the end of the bridge we turned left and descended the steps that would lead us under Bayfront Ave and the Benjamin Sheares Bridge to Gardens by the Bay South.

Rooftop at Marina Barrage

We proceeded along the coastline by the edge of the Gardens all the way to the Marina Barrage where we turned right to walk up the green grass slope to the roof top. People used to play the Frisbee, fly kites or have a picnic on the green rooftop here with the Gardens, Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer for a backdrop - a truly relaxing and picturesque scene.

Marina Bay Sands and Bay South Garden from Marina East

Gardens by the Bay East
At the Marina Barrage, we could see that construction was going on for the western part of the undersea portion of the Marina Coastal Expressway that would link Marina South to Marina East. The eastern part was already completed. After crossing the dam, we arrived at the Bay East Garden. The park runs roughly northwest to southeast for about 1.5km. The trees are still fairly young with a lily pond near the Visitors' Centre. There are palm trees, flowering plants, and spacious lawns. This is a tranquil place to enjoy the skyline formed by Bay South Garden, Marina Bay Sands Casino and the ever prominent Singapore Flyer across the reservoir - if only there were more shade in the afternoon - more rain shelters would help too.

Palm Trees in Bay East Garden

Past the Bay East Garden, we continued on the Tanjong Rhu Promenade Park Connector along the Geylang River. We passed the attractive Tanjong Rhu Suspension Footbridge, the Kallang Theatre and the Kallang Leisure Mall which were on the opposite side of the river. Our journey ended at the Jalan Batu Market and Hawker Centre.

Related Links
East Coast Park to Gardens Bay East
Gardens by the Bay East Marina Barrage
Gardens by the Bay South and East
Round Island Walk - East Coast Park to Marina Bay Sands

Route

View Kallang Basin Marina Reservoir in a larger map

Gardens by the Bay East | Marina Barrage

Gardens by the Bay East

Tanjong Rhu Suspenson Footbridge

One of our walking buddies found out that the Gardens by the Bay East was open with all barricades removed. So for this walk we wanted to see what was in store for us at the Gardens. Our plan was to visit Gardens by the Bay then cross over to the Marina Barrage and finish off by walking along the roads of Marina South to Lau Pa Sat.

Gardens by the Bay East

We began the walk from the bus stop near Mountbatten Community Centre and walked along the Geylang Canal in the direction of the Singapore Indoor Stadium. There was a park connector on the left bank all the way to Costa Rhu but we chose to walk on the right bank where we had to walk on the concrete slab anchoring the guardrails along the canal. Just before the stadium was a drain where we turned right and aimed for the Kallang Leisure Park where we had an early lunch to provide us the calories for the main walk.

Lily Pond

After lunch we walked passed the Kallang Indoor Stadium to cross the pedestrian foot bridge. The site of the former Kallang Stadium was walled up to allow for the construction of the future Kallang Sports Hub. The main entrance to the Gardens is from Rhu Cross. For those who prefer going there by bus take 158 from opposite the Mountbatten Community Centre or from Aljunid MRT and get down at Costa Rhu.

Marina Bay Sands

The Gardens by the Bay East is about 1900m long. The width varies from 150 to 200m. It is sandwiched between Marina Bay Golf Course on the east and the Marina Channel on the west. They are situated on a triangular-shaped piece of reclaimed land (Marina East) bounded by the East Coast Parkway ECP in the north, the Marina Channel on the west and the sea in the south. From the Gardens, you will have spectacular views of the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, the Singapore Flyer, Marina Sands, the two domes in Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore skyline.

Singapore Flyer

Although the Gardens looked bare from the Benjamin Sheares Bridge compared with mature parks in the rest of Singapore with their decades-old trees forming a dense canopy, nevertheless on the ground the perspective was different. The plants as well as some trees were flowering attracting butterflies and dragonflies and our walk through the park was a a surprise because the view was breathtaking. It would be most pleasant in the evenings with the lighted Singapore skyline as the backdrop.

Marina Barrage Water Feature

The Gardens are fully developed with plant life, rain shelters, ponds, rock gardens, swales, etc. Now it's waiting for the trees to mature over the years to extend their crown to provide more shade.

Sustainable Singapore Gallery

Marina Barrage
As we crossed the Marina Barrage, we could see on the left the construction of the underground Marina Coastal Expressway connecting the East Coast Expressway to Keppel Road near the Marina South Pier.

Marina Barrage on opening day

The Marina Barrage implemented several energy saving ideas such as a grass-covered rooftop and a solar energy farm. The rooftop also served another purpose providing visitors with a place to relax, play, or have a picnic while absorbing the views of the city skyline. When we were there the sky opened up and we spent the time enjoying the model demonstration of the function of the barrage as we waited for the rain to stop.

Related Posts
East Coast Park to Gardens Bay East
Gardens by the Bay South and East
Kallang Basin and Marina Reservoir Walk

Route

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