NParks launches Coast-to-Coast Trail and Rower’s Bay along the Round Island Route

- C2C Trail is complemented by the first augmented reality-enabled mobile application by NParks that offers park-goers a curated walking experience across the island

- Rower’s Bay features a boardwalk, wetland and amenities

The National Parks Board (NParks) today launched the Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Trail and Rower’s Bay, which is along the Round Island Route (RIR). The 36 km C2C Trail stretches from Jurong Lake Gardens in the west to Coney Island Park in the northeast. The Trail is complemented by the C2C mobile application, which makes use of interactive augmented reality (AR) elements to provide users with a curated walking experience, as well as an online trail guide. The new Rower’s Bay features a boardwalk, amenities and a wetland along the reservoir’s edge. It is a node along the RIR and is part of the first phase of works completed for the 150 km RIR. It is also part of the future Park Connector Network (PCN) loop around Lower Seletar Reservoir. Altogether, the C2C Trail, RIR, PCN, Rail Corridor and Nature Park Network provide the public with more recreational options, and more opportunities to explore the outdoors and connect with nature in our biophilic City in a Garden.

Map of recreational connections (Credit: NParks)

Coast-to-Coast Trail

The 36 km C2C Trail cuts across Singapore and takes visitors through a variety of parks, nature areas and places of interest. The Trail is supported by the C2C mobile application, which features interactive AR elements such as 3D-animated characters. These characters provide interesting information about native flora and fauna, and surrounding points of interest. Users can also accumulate reward points in the app by using its features, which include uploading of photographs taken along the trail to share experiences. The points will automatically be converted to rewards such as F&B vouchers, products and services. Visitors can also choose to explore the C2C Trail using the online trail guide, which can be downloaded from the NParks website (www.nparks.gov.sg/c2c).

New features will continue to be added to the app. For example, by next year, users will be able to develop their own curated trails and share these for others to experience and enjoy as well. This will encourage the community to share knowledge with one another, and provide them with access to a wide variety of trails that they can choose from.

To mark the launch of the C2C Trail today, Guest of Honour Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance, kicked-off the 36-hour C2C Challenge. Between 12 noon on 30 March and 11.59 pm on 31 March 2019, participants who garner 1600 points in the app, complete in-app challenges, and upload photos of themselves at all 10 checkpoints will be eligible for the lucky draw to win either an iPhone XS 64Gb or a Samsung Galaxy S10+ 128Gb. In support of efforts to provide users with a new way of interacting with our green spaces, REVEZ Group, an experiential information technology company, donated 10 sets of the phones as prizes for the Challenge through the Garden City Fund, NParks’ registered charity and an Institution of Public Character. Organisations that would like to support similar programmes can contact Garden_city_fund@nparks.gov.sg or visit www.gardencityfund.org.

Rower’s Bay, a new node along the Round Island Route (RIR)

When progressively completed by 2035, the RIR will be a continuous 150 km green corridor that goes around Singapore. The new node at Rower’s Bay is part of the 60 km first phase of the RIR. Serving as a rest and gathering point for park users along the RIR, it features a new boardwalk that brings visitors closer to the water, a lookout pavilion, swales and a wetland. The wetland around the boardwalk is planted with species that provide food and shelter for native wildlife that can be found in the area, such as the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) and Copper-cheeked Frog (Hylarana labialis). Other amenities at the node include shelters with solar-powered USB charging points, a toilet, a self-help bicycle repair station and F&B vending machines.

Rower’s Bay is also part of a future PCN loop around Lower Seletar Reservoir. A new 1.5 km park connector next to Rower’s Bay will be completed by end 2019, and the rest of the loop will be progressively planned and completed in the future. 

Visitors to Rower’s Bay can make their way towards Seletar Aerospace Park and the next point of interest via a completed 3 km of RIR. This area features three Heritage Trees, as well as a shelter with charging points. They can also venture into The Oval at Seletar Aerospace Park to explore its rich colonial history and enjoy the F&B offerings in the area.

Today, of the 60 km first phase of the RIR, 50 km between Sengkang Riverside Park and Gardens by the Bay is already connected. With the completion of Rower’s Bay and the 3 km to Seletar Aerospace Park, 7 km remains to be linked up. This brings us closer to completing the connectivity along the entire 60 km by 2020 when the public will be able to enjoy more nodes with amenities, widened paths along several sections and enhanced planting to provide shade.

In addition, by 2021, another 60 km of paths between Gardens by the Bay and Rower’s Bay, part of which runs along the Rail Corridor, will be connected, making a loop of 120 km.