Bukit Timah Hill - Hindhede to Dairy Farm Quarry

10 April 2010 - The objective of this hike is to get from Bukit Timah Hill visitor centre to the Dairy Farm Quarry using the forested paths of Bukit Timah Hill.  This should be an interesting hike as it has been a long time since my last visit.

It was raining when we got started.  Once we got into the trails, we were confronted with a lot of steps ! There were steps going uphill, steps going downhill, steps made from concrete, wood, rocks etc.  It was certainly more challenging than i had expected.  I had been to the summit of  Bukit Timah Hill a few times using the main road, but using the side paths provided a whole new different challenge.

There were remnants of old buildings and structures that suggested that the area was once inhabited.  Well, according to Mathias, there were once villages (kampungs) situated in Bukit Timah Hill.

Dom led us to a hidden location along Seraya loop that had an excellent view of the Singapore Quarry. This secret location was hidden behind a hut. We had to squeeze past a wooden fence and move cautiously along a small precarious ledge to get to the spot. One slip and you'll be cliff diving into the quarry :-)

Did i mention that we were actually on a recce trip for a bigger group next week.  For safety reasons, we might not bring them here.  Many people + small ledge = potential cliff divers into the quarry.

 

The wooden fence that we had to squeeze through and the  (not) so narrow ledge 

where we had an excellent view of the Singapore Quarry. 

What goes up must come down.  On our way down from the hill, we encountered a lot more steps of various kinds, shapes and sizes !

More remnants of the old kampung - A disused toilet.

There was  supposed to be a shortcut that could take us to the Dairy Farm Quarry from the Dairy Farm Loop. However, we soon found ourselves at the foot of the hill near the Dairy Farm road.  We missed the path to the quarry completely !

Determined to find the shortcut, we decide to search from the destination. We made our way to the Dairy Farm quarry via Dairy Farm road.  The open space and the well manicured greens at the quarry has always been a favourite with hikers. Especially if you had just walked an hour of more through the forest trail to get here - a refreshing change of scene.  

Moving along the bike trail, Dom recognised some familiar landmarks which lead to the re-discovery of the shortcut. Hurray ! We hurried towards the path only to discover that the track had been fenced up.  Haha.. this only makes it more exciting, we quickly went around the fence and crossed a small stream.

There were a lot of mosquitoes here !  I must remember to apply insect repellent when i return next week !

Finally, we found the missing shortcut that took us back to Dairy Farm Loop.  Actually, we missed it just now because the route had been fenced off.  Anyway, that shouldn't be a problem ;-)

Where the shortcut to Diary Farm Quarry is ...

Mission accomplished.  With the discovery of the shortcut, Dom had a fairly good idea of where to bring the group next week !

This recce trip took us 3hrs.  The actual hike should be shorter as we spend a fair amount of time looking for the missing trail. The undulating terrain and the endless flights of steps makes it a fairly challenging hike. Should you decide to attempt this trail, remember the insect repellent !