Exercise Circuit 3.

This intense walking trail starts in Iere Village just outside of Princes’ Town at 10.287845°N and -61.388625°W. It proceeds south-west along the Naparima-Mayaro Road through the villages of Mt. Stewart and Palmyra. It continues along the Naparima-Mayaro Road past the Tarouba Link Road at 10.28442°N and -61.429201°W and continues along past the Daisy Road at 10.27984°N and -61.43415°W. Be mindful of the fact that there are a lot of stray dogs along the Naparima-Mayaro Road so plan accordingly.
The trail continues onto the Manahambre Road from 10.27858°N and -61.43548°W. There’s the St. Clement’s Anglican Church located along this road just past the junction at 10.27768°N and -61.43465°W. This used to be a beautiful wooden structure, but like most of the old buildings in Trinidad and Tobago, it fell into disrepair and was torn down. It is now being replaced with a structure made of concrete and steel.
This trail continues past the M2 Ring Road at 10.27747°N and -61.43428°W. In the days of Sugar Cane refining in Trinidad this road was used by the old locomotive engines and the “taskers” to haul sugar cane from the scale houses to the Usine Ste. Madeleine Factory. This road is now primarily used as a link from Princes’ Town and San Fernando to Debe and places beyond.
The Usine Ste. Madeleine Pond is located at 10.262305°N and -61.428018°W. This place is exceptionally beautiful just after sunrise. It makes for quite a lot of very good photography and there are quite a lot of birds that populate the pond and environs. These would include the Neotropic Cormorant or Olivaceous Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) of the Phalacrocoracidae family, the Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) of the Anhingidae family, quite a few members of the Accipitridae family as well as members of the Rallidae and Jacanidae families.
Continuing along the trail we past the Cedar Hill Recreation Grounds at 10.26166°N and -61.40025°W. This ground hosts the annual Ramlila (रामलीला Rāmlīlā) Celebrations in the village of Cedar Hill. From here the road had a few areas where the gradient provides a bit of a challenge. It ranges between 6° and 13° at many places for some distance.
The trail turns into Princes’ Town at the corner of the Naparima-Mayaro Road and the Manahambre Road at 10.27041°N and -61.37845°W. There isn’t much to see in Princes’ Town except St. Stephen's Anglican Church at the Lothians Road corner. On the North West and North East of the church, stand two majestic yellow Poui Trees. These were planted by Prince George of Wales (later to become King George V) and his brother Prince Edward Albert of England on the 22nd January 1880 to mark their visit to the town. It is from this visit that Princes' Town, formerly called The Mission, got its name. Apart from this the center of the town is located at 10.27193°N and -61.375305°W. There’s fresh fruits and vegetables always available at the local farmers market but you must be aware that the farmers will attempt to sell you produce that might be rotten.
We continue along the Naparima-Mayaro Road through the villages of Matilda and Craignish until the turing loop at the Princes’ Town East and West Secondary Schools located in the village of St. Julien at 10.269661°N and -61.34832°W. From this point we trace back our steps until we get to the corner of the Naparima-Mayaro Road and the M1 Tasker Road located at 10.278306°N and -61.36550°W.
This leg of the journey traverses through the village of Buen Intento. Villagers were primarily employed by Caroni (1975) Limited as labourers in the sugar cane fields. Since the closure of Caroni (1975) Limited they have since found employment in other industries, agriculture, and the service sector in Princes’ Town. Keep right at the junction located at 10.278245°N and -61.371708°W to continue along the M1 Tasker Road. Turn right at the traffic lights at 10.278713°N and -61.382248°W to return to the start point via the Naparima-Mayaro Road.
So this long intense walk is not for the unfit. There are portions of it that will strain the legs. Additionally, this should be started as early in the morning as possible to minimize exposure to direct U.V. radiation. There are long open sections with no cover through Cedar Hill, Manahambre, Princes’ Town, Matilda, Craignish, St. Julien, and the entire leg of the M1 Tasker road from the Naparima-Mayaro Road junction in Craignish right through to the Naparima-Mayaro Road junction in Iere Village. This basically means you’re out in the sun all throughout the leg through Buen Intento. A couple litres of water and electrolytes as well as sunscreen with a high SPF number (at least 30) should do fine.
Happy Trails...