Walking in Singapore weather is a dicey proposition. If it is not scorching hot, it is pouring with rain. The combination of both heat and humidity makes walking even just a short distance a test of endurance.
Add a compulsory face mask, and only mad dogs and Englishmen, as the song goes, go out in the midday sun.
Still, with air travel limited and Singaporeans in search of recreation within national bounds, heritage trails present an intriguing proposition – learn about Singapore history while getting in that prescribed 10,000 steps a day.
The National Heritage Board (NHB) has collated 19 heritage trails across the island since 1999, and they cover a good range of Singapore’s geography and history. But are all of them worth slogging through?
Unfortunately, some map pins were wildly off the mark for a couple of the trails, with at least one pin located in the middle of a road.
Estimations of total trail distances were flagrantly inaccurate, so we have included the number of steps, as a rough approximation of actual distances covered, if one were to follow the site’s full trail suggestions.
Do also note that some trails are insanely long and unmanageable solely on foot. The Yishun-Sembawang trail, for example, had 30 stops, which took 7½ hours to cover in both a car and on foot. The World War II trail is even more manic, spanning some 50 sites in the PDF booklet.
An NHB spokesman has acknowledged that has issues, and the Yishun-Sembawang trail will be streamlined by the first quarter of next year.
Despite this, the heritage trails offer a good way to explore neighbourhoods and unearth new nuggets about places Singaporeans seldom think twice about.
Just some things to note if you are planning to tackle any trail…
- Dress comfortably and arm yourself with sunscreen and an umbrella.
- When exploring religious institutions, be mindful about dress and photography, and take note that because of the pandemic, entry might be restricted.
- Take this guide with you, and happy trails!
- Find the trail guides online at this website.
Balestier trail is one for the foodies
Rating: 4/5
Duration and difficulty: Three hours, about 9,000 steps. Note that the Tan Tock Seng side of the walk is a bit hilly. Moderately easy walk.
The highlights:
- Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
- Maha Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple
- Shaw Brothers film studio
- Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah
- Balestier Market
- Former Mandalay Road Hospital
- Goh Chor Tua Pek Kong Temple
- Art Deco apartment blocks
- Sim Kwong Ho shophouses
- Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice
- Sing Hon Loong Bakery (Ghee Leong)
- Whampoa Food Market
Yishun-Sembawang trail is sprawling, full of nature and religious gems
Rating: 2/5
Duration and difficulty: Seven-and-a-half hours, about 15,000 steps and a fair bit of driving between landmarks. Flat terrain, but challenging in terms of distance.
The highlights:
- Beaulieu House
- Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang
- Masjid Assyafaah
- Sembawang Hot Spring
- Hock Huat Keng and Sri Veeramuthu Muneeswarar Temple
- Cheow Leng Beo and Chee Hoon Sun Kong temples
- Sree Maha Mariamman Temple
- Chong Pang Combined Temple
- Lower Seletar Reservoir
- Spiritual Grace Presbyterian Church
- Masjid Ahmad Ibrahim
- Upper Seletar Reservoir
Kampong Glam is a marvellous maze of mosques and street shopping
Rating: 4/5
Duration and difficulty: One hour 10 minutes, or about 4,350 steps. Easy walk.
The highlights
- Masjid Malabar
- Alsagoff Arab School
- Masjid Hajjah Fatimah
- Istana Kampong Glam and Gedung Kuning
- Masjid Sultan
- Bussorah Street
- Arab Street
- Haji Lane
The lure of the sea at Pasir Ris
Rating: 3/5
Duration and difficulty: Three-and-a-half hours, about 10,000 steps. The map at Roots.gov.sg looks straightforward, but distances between some landmarks are farther than we thought.
The highlights:
- Pasir Ris Park
- Mangrove Forest
- Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple
Walk down memory lane in Queenstown
Rating: 4/5
Duration and difficulty: More than six hours if you visit all 40 points. About 26,300 steps. An easy walk, with some stair-climbing.
The highlights:
- Queenstown Public Library
- Singapore’s first HDB blocks
- HDB terraces
- Tiong Ghee Temple
- HDB’s first point blocks
- “Butterfly Block”
- Alexandra Hospital
- Hang Jebat Mosque
- Colonial terraces at Jalan Hang Jebat
- Wessex Estate
- Former Malayan Railways
- Singapore Improvement Trust flats
- Sri Muneeswaran Temple
- Church of the Blessed Sacrament
- Tanglin Halt Neighbourhood Centre
- First flatted factory
- Shuang Long Shan Wu Shu Ancestral Hall
- VIP Block
- Ridout Tea Garden
- Commonwealth Crescent Neighbourhood Centre
Great for history buffs
Rating: 2/5
Duration and difficulty: In its entirety, this islandwide trail will take you several days (there are about 50 points, organised into six regions).
It is best attempted if you are driving or visiting only a few places. Many sites are not within easy walking distance of one another.
The highlights:
- Kranji War Cemetery
- Labrador Battery
- Siloso Battery
- Fort Canning Command Centre
- Grave of Lim Bo Seng
- Seletar Airfield area
- Changi Museum
Text: Ong Sor Fern, Olivia Ho, Toh Wen Li & Venessa Lee/The Straits Times