MacRitchie Trail via Windsor Nature Park and Rifle Range Road

 

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

 

 

Kampong Trail to Venus Drive

Pipeline Trail

This was an interesting walk because we intended to look for a trail to one of the supporting towers below the TreeTop bridge probably used for maintenance access. 

Kampong Trail

We met at the Bukit Timah Food Centre. Then we proceeded to Hindhede Road for the start of the  Kampong Trail. After crossing Rifle Range Road the trail leads to the Durian Loop a former durian plantation. During the durian season we could see many durian lovers waiting to pick the ripe fruits that dropped from the trees. The early birds would have scoured all the regular trails and just picked up those that dropped during the early morning. The trail loops back to Rifle Range Road and on to ST Kinetics. Just to the right after crossing the barrier is where the pipeline trail starts. 

A shelter on the Petaling Trail

Pipeline Trail 

The trail is undulating. It follows the boundary of ST Kinetics compound until the spillway. When we reached the spillway we turned left and walked along it toward Peirce Reservoir.  The spillway is used to discharge water from Peirce Reservoir to MacRitchie Reservoir. 

After a brief stop at the beach to admire the scenery, we returned to the lower end of the spillway. Here there is a bridge where we crossed over to continue along the pipeline trail.

At the flow control station we separated into two groups one going to the Ranger Station first to await the second group. The other group continued straight on the trail behind the control station to the bottom of the TreeTop bridge. 

The beginning of the pipeline trail

TreeTop Walk 

Here we searched for signs of a trail to the tower. The first trail turned out to be impassable. We backtracked a little bit and did find a trail. We trekked along this and very soon arrived at the tower. We moved a bit further on and climbed onto the beginning of the boardwalk. This was the beginning of a long flight of steps to the top of the hill.

We stopped for a while at the first hut after the bridge. This is at the top of the long staircase. After this we moved along the rest of the boardwalk also called the Petaling Trail. When we reached the Sime Trail we turned left towards the Ranger Station. 

The endless staircase

Ranger Station 

As usual we  rested here. The Ranger Station has toilet facilities and two water coolers for us to replenish our water bottles. Here we usually met other hikers and exchanged greetings and information. 

We left the Ranger Station as it started to rain. It became a heavy downpour accompanied by lightning. At the SICC clubhouse we took shelter at a storage area. When the rain weakened we quickly continued our walk to Upper Thomson Road. The two groups met up along Venus Drive and finished the remaining walk to the Venus Drive car park.

Our Route

Map data ©2016 Google, Urban Redevelopment Authority

Venus Drive TreeTop Walk to Bukit Panjang

Suspension bridge on the TreeTop Walk

The route consisted of part of the TreeTop Walk, Rifle Range Road and the Bukit Timah Pipeline Trail to Bukit Panjang. Along the way we would take a side-trip to the Peirce Reservoir and walk past the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

TreeTop Walk
We started the walk from Thomson Plaza along Upper Thomson Road to Venus Drive. At the Venus Drive carpark we started on the TreeTop Walk. The first 100m was across an open patch but for the remainder of the trail it was under cover of the forest canopy. Initially the trail followed a stream then through the remains of an abandoned kampong. Just before the SICC Clubhouse the trail would run parallel to the Island Club Road. Near the SICC Clubhouse is a trail that would lead us back to the MacRitchie Reservoir Trail. we skipped  this one and followed the knee-high signages pointing to the TreeTop Walk. 

After about 45 mins from the carpark we arrived at the Ranger Station, took a break before beginning the ascent to the bridge which is a highlight of the walk. There is a toilet and a filtered chilled water dispenser where we could top up our water bottles. Along the way we noticed that there were more visitors than normal. Usually we would pass one or two groups of hikers but on this occasion, we encountered several times more. It appeared that more people were taking refuge from the dry spell of the current month.

After a short rest we ascended the hill to the bridge. The bridge is closed on Monday for maintenance. It is one-way so once we enter the gate we have to proceed all the way along the rest of the trail. For those afraid of heights or dislike the swinging suspension bridge stay close to your friends. There is a ranger on duty at the entrance. On this occasion there were 2 macaques guarding the entrance as well!

After crossing the bridge the balance of the trail is a boardwalk with lots of steps up and down. Positioned along the trail were huts providing rest stops.and refuge from rain. Signages are posted along the trail explaining the various flora and fauna of the forest.

Halfway along the boardwalk, we came across an earth trail along pipeline laid underground. We turned right to follow the trail the rest of way instead of completing the TreeTop Walk. This trail runs in a straight line to Rifle Range Road. Soon we arrived at a spillway used to transfer water from Peirce Reservoir to MacRitchie Reservoir. We were lucky on this occasion when the spillway was transferring water creating a cascade of water down the steps. We followed the spillway to the source at the Peirce Reservoir.

Spillway between Peirce and MacRitchie Reservoir

Bukit Timah Pipeline Trail
At the end of this trail is a complex operated by ST Kinetics. We walked along Rifle Range Road keeping a lookout for traffic because this is a narrow two-way road. At the Murnane Reservoir, we stepped over the road divider on the right and moved on to the main Bukit Timah Pipeline Trail in a northerly direction. This trail runs all the way to Woodlands about 9km away.

While on the trail one could choose to walk on the open grass trail or follow the bike trail on the right side. On the day of the walk it was hot so we chose to take the bike trail that runs through the trees. At some stage the bike trail will divide into two but join up at a later stage.

For the first 1.5km the trail will skirt Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and form part of the Bukit Timah Bike Trail and is called the Belukar Trail. After crossing under the Dairy Farm Road it becomes part of Zhenghua Park. This park is equipped with a cycling/running track, shelters and exercise station and a playground. It is parallel to the Bukit Timah Expressway but is oblivious to people travelling on the highway as it is hidden by greenery. Near Chestnut Avenue is a new condominium under construction. At Bukit Panjang Road we left the trail and ended our walk.

The Pipeline Trail

The Pipeline Trail
The trail is the result of the passage of several pipelines that bring in water from Johor in Malaysia to Singapore. Three pipelines can be seen on the causeway joining the two countries continuing all the way to the Dempsey Road area. Most of the pipelines are buried with the ground above kept free from trees but covered with grass. Some sections are exposed when crossing streams/drains. These exposed sections can be seen in Google Earth.

The trail begins at Marsiling in a southerly direction to Farrer Road. Our walk took us from Marsiling to Rifle Range Road where we would divert through the Durian Loop (a former durian plantation) to check for durians. The length of the walk would be 12km.

Woodlands 
We started our walk on the trail next to Woodlands St 41. As this street turned south we could see the trail as we walked along it. To access the trail we followed the well-trodden footpath next to the fence that was opposite block 413A. About 250m away we came across the first exposed pipes. One of these allowed us to walk on it to cross over the low lying area.

Start of the trail at Woodlands St 41

We stepped around a fenced-up area protecting control valves just before walking under the SLE heading south. After this, we noticed durian trees on our left. Again there was a slight delay to search for durians. We met a guy who had been waiting and was rewarded with three fruits which he claimed tasted good. He suggested we go further south near the highway crossing where there were plenty of fruits. We left him and continued southward. We believed that this guy was just trying to get rid of us.

First set of exposed pipes

The next set of pipeline crossing was about 400m from the SLE and were about 170m long. It was exciting walking across these. There was no danger walking on these as they were about 5 feet in diameter but a fall could be nasty.

Mandai Road
The approach to Mandai Road was steep but manageable. We crossed this road at the traffic light and proceeded back to the trail, but were blocked by fences. So we skirted along the access road to the BKE and spotted a footpath in the undergrowth. At the end of the path was the trail again but the area here being low-lying was muddy. There were bamboo poles lying on the ground. These helped prevent us from getting too dirty.

Up the slope of the trail we proceeded and were rewarded with a breath-taking view at the top of the hill. This spot overlooked the army transport base and the BKE ahead of us. We took a short rest here.

About 400m further, the pipeline crossed under the BKE, resuming its southward heading on the right side of the highway, as we looked south.

Looking towards KJE

There was a dirt road immediately after this with lorries carrying soil moving along it. I accidentally stepped into a drain that was overgrown with wild grass but except for some dirt and minor scratches was okay. About 1km further south we crossed under the KJE. Immediately after this was the Segar Road Estate. We had a break at a coffee-shop that was situated in the newly-built Zhenghua Community Club at the east junction of Segar Road and Bt Panjang Ring Rd.

Zhenghua Park
After the break, we proceeded south along the Ring Rd and rejoined the trail at the fence on the north side of Greenridge Sec School. The drop to the trail was steep so we relied on the fencing to support us as we climbed down the slope. There was the Bukit Panjang Park Connector parallel to the trail so we followed it instead as it was paved. The Park Connector Network is a series of track for hikers and cyclists usually along canals/parks linking parks in different parts of the island. After about 500m we arrived at the Zhenghua Park. There was a track that went under the BKE on the left leading to the Gangsa Bike Trail. We continued southwards along the track crossing the Bt Panjang Rd. Since leaving the school, we had been following the shaded paved track that parallel the exposed pipeline trail. 300m away we crossed Chestnut Ave. This is an access road for the pumping station at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Another 300m we crossed Dairy Farm Rd using a path that went under the road.

Zhenghua Park

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
The track became the Belukar Track of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, part of the bike trail that ran along the border of the reserve. After 1km the bike trail turned right. This is where we left the bike trail and rejoined the pipeline trail that headed for Rifle Range Road. After crossing Rifle Range Road the trail followed the boundary of the Murnane Reservoir and on to Kg Chantek Road. We explored the Durian Loop to check for durians but we were too late in the season as there were no more fruits on the trees. We continued on to Kg Chantek Road and took a rest at the coffee shop at Binjai Park, then to Bt Timah Road where we took the bus for home.

Near Rifle Range Road

The Route

Map data ©2017 Google

See Also:
Pipeline Trail from Bukit Panjang to Woodlands
Admiralty Park to Sembawang
Woodcutter Trail
Woodlands Town to Bukit Panjang via Ulu Sembawang Park Connector