Changi Coastal Walk

Changi Beach Park

As we could not continue with our weekly walk because of the pandemic, I will describe a walk that we did a few months ago. Since the realignment of the Changi Coastal Road we have not walked this stretch of road. This was because of construction work and the lack of tree cover from the afternoon sun.

Recently in mid November 2019, we decided to risk the rain and sun to walk the 22km distance from Changi Village to East Coast Lagoon. The route would include the Changi Beach Park, the Coastal Park Connector and East Coast Park.

Changi Beach Park
The group met at Changi Village Food Centre as usual with a quick lunch. We then crossed the Changi Creek Bridge to the beach to begin our walk. The Changi Beach Park was improved since our last trek here. There were no more signs of renovation. This stretch of the walk is pleasant as it is well-shaded and has toilet facilities. There is a memorial of the Shook Ching Massacre that occurred here during the Second World War where thousands  were killed and buried at the beach.

Memorial Plaque

Aviation Park Road
After leaving Changi Beach Park, we passed the Changi Ferry Terminal and walked along Nicoll Drive and Aviation Park Road. This is where the Singapore Airshow 2020 would be staged at the Changi Exhibition Centre. But attendance was lower than previous years because of the pandemic. It is now being used to house foreign workers as a community isolation facility for recovering patients and those with mild symptoms. 

Tanah Merah Coast Road
Then on to Tanah Merah Coast Road. We thought we could access the beach for the views but all along the coast there were signs forbidding access. There was only one spot that allowed some photo shoot as shown on Google Map. It was a long monotonous straight stretch of road that runs parallel to the Changi Airport runways. Besides the park connector, there is a lane on the road reserved for cyclists.

Tanah Coast Road with cycling lane

We were blessed on that day with cloudy skies and no rain but still we could feel the effects of the heat. Eventually we reached the first bus stop on this road near the Naval Base and some members left us because of the heat. Eventually the rest of us reached the Safra golf club and from here on the trails were familiar such as the Sea Sports Centre and the Bedok Pier. Kayaking lessons were being conducted as we walked past them.

Kayaking lessons at the Sea Sports Centre

We finally reached the Lagoon Village Food Centre after 5 hours and the front-runner was ahead by an hour. We started with 10 but only 5 arrived at the food centre. 4 stopped earlier to catch a bus because of the heat and one took a different route near the sailing club.

Bedok Pier in the background

Related Posts
Changi Point Coastal Walk to East Coast Park
East Coast Lagoon to Changi Point
 
Our Route

Map data ©2020 Google

Chek Jawa at Pulau Ubin

Leaving Changi Point

In the past, we used to plan our route to cover either the eastern part of Pulau Ubin which included Chek Jawa or the western part which included the Ketam Bike Trail. If it were the eastern part of the island, we would also look for durians if there were fruits hanging from the trees.

On this trip we wanted to cover as much of the island as possible. Our objective was first to walk up Bukit Puaka then walk to Noordin Campsite, Chek Jawa and Maman Campsite then return to the jetty via the Sensory Trail.  

Pekan Quarry

Changi Point
We took the ferry from Changi Point after an early lunch at the Changi Village Food Centre. It was recently reopened after a renovation to improve ventilation and to allow for more hawker stalls. There were 9 persons this time, therefore it was easy to wait for the requisite 12 pax before the boatman would take off from the terminal for Ubin.

Bukit Puaka
Once we arrived on the island we walked through the village to the temple for a member to pray for our safety. Then we proceeded to the Pekan Quarry to view the birds. There were not many at this time of the year. It was too early to see the migratory birds.

Panorama from Bukit Puaka

Then we were off to Merbah Hut along Jalan Endut Senin where the trail to the summit of Bukit Puaka began. Those who cycled would leave their bikes beside the hut. It was a short climb taking us about 10 to 15 minutes. At the summit we were greeted with a view overlooking the Ubin Quarry. To the north was the coastline of Johor and to the west Punggol. After a short rest and photo session we left the summit to return to Jalan Endut Senin.

From Noordin Campsite

Normally we would stop over at a local farmer for a drink and chit-chat near the Merbah Hut. Today however, we were pressed for time, so we had to skip our visit. We returned to the junction of Jalan Jelutong and Jalan Batu Ubin, turned left to reach Jalan Nordin that would eventually lead us to Nordin Campsite. When we arrived at the beach it was closed due to beach erosion. We could see over the barricade the sea fence to keep out intruders. We saw a marine patrol boat passing by.

Chek Jawa
Back we returned along Jalan Nordin to Jalan Batu Ubin where we took a left turn to head for Chek Jawa, along Jalan Ubin and Jalan Durian. Near Punai Hut a female pig with 2 piglets were sighted dozing in the shade. They were obviously used to us visitors as they totally ignored us when there were like 15 of us trying to take pictures of them.

Local Residents at Chek Jawa

At Chek Jawa, we dropped over at House No. 1 to enjoy the view of the pier, Pulau Sekudu and to take a short rest. After that we proceeded to the Chek Jawa Boardwalk to view the marine life. As it was high tide, we did not see much.

House No. 1 at Chek Jawa

At the mangrove trail, we climbed the Jejawi Tower for a better view of the area and watching aircraft landing at Changi International Airport. After Chek Jawa, we returned by another trail as directed by the signboards.

Chek Jawa Boardwalk

At Beberek Hut, we decided to return direct to the pier as we were tired and pressed for time. We had to skip Mamam Campsite and the Sensory Trail. Back at the jetty, we found we had covered 16km.

Route

Map data ©2020 Google

Changi Point Coastal Walk to East Coast Park

Changi Point Coastal Walk

Changi Village
Our plan for this outing was to meet up at Changi Village, as some would go by bus while others would cycle there. Those who go by bus would walk the Changi Boardwalk and explore the area around Hendon Road and Halton Road. We would return to Changi Village to meet the rest of the group and have lunch at the Airfield Coffee-shop. After that we would rent bicycles, cycle to East Coast Park to return the bicycles. PCN Pitstop provides this service with their network of kiosks throughout the Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network.

Changi Point Coastal Walk

Changi Point Coastal Walk
The main party after arriving at the bus terminal proceeded with the Changi Point Coastal Walk. This is a 2.2km trail with a mixture of terrains such as beach, cliff, kelong and along the frontage of a sailing club. It starts at the Changi Point Ferry Terminal and ends at just beyond the Changi Swimming Club. When we reached the Changi Sailing Club, 3 cyclists caught up with us. They had cycled from McDonald's at the East Coast Park to join up with us.

Changi Sailing Club

After the usual greetings we continued on with walking the boardwalk until the end just after the Changi Swimming Club. The cyclists had to at times carry their bikes up and down the steps. The hikers exited at the Changi Swimming Cub to get to explore Halton Road and Hendon Road.

The former colonial buildings at Hendon Road were being renovated to house F&B outlets. The former Changi Hospital and the Orange Valley Nursing House are located at Halton Road. It is a quiet area most conducive for the inhabitants.

Kelong Walk

Meanwhile the cyclists proceeded to Changi Village by a different way.

Eventually we all met at the Airfield Coffee-shop. We had an enjoyable meal for all 11 of us. After lunch we went to the PCN Pitstop kiosk at Changi beach to rent bikes to cycle to Marine Parade.

Coastal Park Connector
The ride was uneventful. We cycled through Changi Beach Park, then along the Coastal Park Connector that runs parallel to the Changi Coast Road and the runway. We made several stops to rest. The stretch alongside the runway is 6km in length and we could feel the effect of the south-westerly wind blowing against us making our ride a bit more strenuous.

Former Changi Hospital

Soon we cycled past the National Service Resort & Country Club and arrived at the East Coast Park. It was another 5km to the PCN Pitstop kiosk to return the bike. Then we crossed the East Coast Parkway by the overhead bridge to get to the nearest coffee-shop at Block 59 for refreshments.

Route

View Changi Village to East Coast ParkUntitled in a larger map

Round Island Walk - Punggol to East Coast Lagoon

From the Sunrise Bridge at Punggol Waterway

Round Island Walk Leg 9. Punggol to Changi

We gathered together at Compass Point in Sengkang and had our lunch there as the choice of  food was poor at the Punggol MRT Station (the starting point of our walk). After lunch at the Compass Point food court we took the train to Punggol.

On alighting from the train we began our walk by walking along Punggol Walk toward the Punggol Waterways. At the Waterway just after crossing the semi-circular bridge, we walked down the slope to the waterway and headed to the west end of the waterway. Here we turned right to follow the Punggol Park Connector along the Punggol River. On this Thursday afternoon, the park connector was quiet. We saw few people except for an angler whiling away his time.

Eventually we reached Punggol Point. There were a number of anglers here. We had a short stay at the lookout before continuing our walk to the Serangoon River on the Punggol Promenade. The trees along here were newly planted and provided little shade. After passing the West and East Serangoon Dam we came to the east end of the Punggol Waterway. A bit further on and we come to the red coloured pedestrian bridge to Lorong Halus Wetland where water is treated using plants and ponds. Here we have our first stop of the day.

Fishing at Punggol Point

After the break we continued on Pasir Ris Farmway 3 and Pasir Ris Drive 1. As we came abreast of the Pasir Ris Station 3 members left us to attend to some personal matters. The rest of us plodded on until we sighted the coffee shop at Pasir Ris Drive 6 for our second break. During this time, it rained.

After that we continued on Pasir Ris Drive 1 until we hit Loyang Ave. At Loyang Valley we had to stop again for the heavy rain and finally decided to take the bus all the way to Changi Village.


Round Island Walk Leg 10. Changi to East Coast Lagoon

We met up at Changi Village hawker centre which was recently renovated. The layout has been improved for better ventilation and there were more food stalls. After lunch we crossed the bridge over the Changi Creek to begin our walk. Most of the hoardings at the beach were removed so the park is now more open and accessible. At the Changi Beach Park, the trail has recently been tarred and changed from the old sand trail. Sure missed the feel of the older trails.

Coastal Park Connector

We left the park just after the second PCN Pitstop kiosk which rents out bicycles and sells drinks for the thirsty park users and bikers coming from the Coastal Park Connector. At these kiosks one could rent a bike and return it at another kiosk. This means we do not have to cycle back on the same route if we are pressed for time.

Just after the Changi Ferry Terminal is Aviation Park Road on the left. We wanted to go to the Changi Exhibition Centre to attend Imdex a maritime defence show. A check with the security post revealed that this is for professionals only and not the one where the public are allowed in. So we gave it a miss and proceeded with our walk along the Coastal Park Connector which parallel the Changi Airport runway. As we proceeded along here we could see many planes taking off every few minutes. Most of these are budget or regional airlines such as Tiger, Air Asia, Silkair, Jetstar, etc.

East Coast Park

Along the way we snapped pictures of landmarks such as the control tower so our non-walkers could follow our progress as they planned to join us at the Lagoon to celebrate the completion of our round island walk started 21 February. This was however interrupted by trips to Johor Bahru for lunch and to Sapa North Vietnam to trek the highland rice terraces.

As we reached the end of the runway walk and turned toward the canal, we met up with another of our walker P. He had come from the Lagoon to join us as he could not start earlier. Together we marched on with a brief stop at the NSRCC Sea Sports Centre. This is where our youths learn and hone their skills in sailing and surfing.

East Coast Lagoon Food Court

The rest of the walk along the East Coast Park was uneventful and excitedly we rushed toward the lagoon where our friends were waiting with their food goodies. Finally at close to 16.30hr we arrived. The celebration was subdued with the absence of 2 key rabble rousers but we happily congratulated each other with beer, satay,  and tarts and ang ku kueh all the way from Johor. Later on we found out that the satay belonged to the next table so we had to pay for it! CH brought his Samsung tablet and a set of mini speakers and some of us were merrily singing along including “My Way”, those who still have their voice.