Thursday Ramblers lead a walk along the Aquaducts to Batu Ferringhi Reservoir

This hike in the north part of Penang was announced on the Penang Thursday Ramblers Facebook page

Meet at 9am at: https://goo.gl/maps/EztSTz3pp7BEUyMh7
All tarmac surface. Easy walk, suitable for all.
Will get hot on return leg so please bring your hat and plenty of water.
Details of walk are at: https://www.komoot.com/tour/71040462?ref=wtd

So a bunch of us rolled up at Pasar Batu Ferringhi at the appointed hour

Down at the end of the road here there's a little blue and white guardhouse next to a gate. The letters PBAPP are painted on the glass of the guardhouse, but there's no sign on or near the gate.

Inside the gate you find a log book for you to sign in, and out again when you leave.

Head uphill on the gently sloping path for the start of a pleasant stroll.

This leads to the aquaducts, and the walk continues between the water channels.

Just ahead, one of the pipes sports a small shrine

Monkeys like to come out and frolic on the pipes.

The pumping stations are picturesque. That looks like a cannon on the hill to its left.

Mounted on a real cannon caisson, the "cannon" part turns out to be a fanciful bit of artwork, wouldn't even hurl a circus performer

There are nice views out over the jungle from here.

This pumping station has a clever contraption. powered by water current, that filters detritus out of the water as it flows through the filter.

Eventually, the walkers arrive at the 3 3/4 kilometer mark.

This in the center of a little roundabout for walkers. If you do the roundabout so you come out facing the opposite direction you can see the end of the road up the right fork. In this picture the walkers are heading home back the way they came.

At the end of that road that forks right, there is a station that collects the water from its source, rushing in from just past the signs to the right of the station.

The signs are at the entrance to a jungle path that beckons beyond an open gate.

Luca has been here before. He leads the way for those who are curious to follow.

The stream here has fast flowing water

Just beyond the boulders in this bend in the river, there is a path to the left which goes all the way to Penang Hill.

Luca tells us that if we wanted to go there, we would have to cross the river at this point and pick up the trail on the opposite bank.

The trail on the bank we are standing on continues another hour and a half where it drops steeply to Taman Rimba National Forest park in Teluk Bahang. The park is at the base of the dam retaining the water in the Teluk Bahang reservoir. The park has numerous natural swimming pools and is quite popular with the locals. It is just a short walk from the Entopia Butterfly Farm, where there is a bus stop for the 101 and 102 buses that go on to the Penang National Park office from there.

In the park there are signs pointing out the trailheads for the rough tracks leading up to Penang Hill, and, as I found out today, leading down through that open gate to the footpath marked Jalan Sungai 1, and on down to the exit from the area at Pasar Batu Ferringhi.