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

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Our Route

Map data ©2020 Google

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.

East Coast Lagoon to Changi Point

This walk took us from the East Coast Park Lagoon to Changi Beach Club a distance of 18km. Along the way we went past the National Sailing Centre, the National Service Resort & Country Club, Changi International Airport, walked through the Changi Beach Park and traversed the Changi Point Boardwalk.

East Coast Park
We first gathered at the Lagoon View bus stop, then walked across the East Coast Parkway via the Laguna Flyover to the East Coast Park to begin our walk.

Bedok Jetty

The day was cloudy but no rain, perfect weather for walking or cycling. We walked past the Xtreme SkatePark and the Bedok Jetty. This is a favourite haunt of anglers who will come day or night depending on the tides to fish.

Just past the Bedok Jetty is the Sunset Beach Bar at the Bougainvillea Garden. It was closed as it was late in the morning. After that we arrived at Kitesurfing and next to it the Outward Bound Centre for the young.

East Coast Park beach

Soon we arrived at the National Sailing Centre and the National Service Resort & Country Club. This is a golf and country club for national servicemen from all services. You can join for terms of either 5 or 10 years. The 3 courses are usually very busy and golfers have to play fast without too much delay or the course marshal will come by to remind you.

Changi Coastal Track
Just outside the golf club is the NSRCC Sea Sports Centre where the young can take part in canoeing and sailing. We stopped by the Belly View Cafe here and had lunch. The prices here are reasonable $5-6$ for noodles and rice dishes. A can of beer costs $5.50. There is also a pub here at the sailing centre. This place should be great for an evening drink by the beach.

NSRCC Sea Sports Centre

After lunch we moved on to the Changi Coastal Track that runs generally parallel to the runway at Changi International Airport. One can watch the planes landing and taking off along this stretch of more than 6km track. We noticed that there were a high proportion of regional budget airlines operating during the late morning and afternoon such as Tiger, JetStar, Air Asia, Lion Air, Scoot and many more. This stretch of road is also very boring for hikers and cyclists but we had to slog through it somehow. There are shelters every 1km to provide rest and shelter from rain and lightning.

Changi Coastal Track

Changi Beach Park
Just past the Changi Ferry Terminal is the Changi Beach Park about 3km long and ends at Changi Point. Changi Beach Park is being upgraded with more shelters and tarred trails. I felt a loss for the dirt trails of the past. Many people come here to fish and relax on the beach as it is readily accessible by public bus.

Just past the Cargo Complex is the SAF Ferry Terminal. This is where NSmen depart for their training at Pulau Tekong. After crossing the bridge over the Changi Creek, we made a decision to continue our walk on the Changi Boardwalk. This stretch is from the Changi Point Ferry Terminal to the Changi Beach Club a distance of 2.2km.

A Catamaran at Changi Sailing Club

Surprisingly although it was sunny along the beach here, it rained suddenly in bright sunshine. After the stretch of beach, we got on the boardwalk and went past the chalets, the Changi Sailing Club and the Changi Beach Club before turning inland to Cranwell Road.

Our walk ended at the junction of Cranwell Road and Loyang Avenue where we took a bus home.

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Route

View EastCoastLagoon2ChangiPointBoardwalk in a larger map