Heille, Bruges and a culinary detour through the Bruges countryside Heille

This route northeast of Bruges is a delight. From the village of Heille in Zeeland Flanders, you'll enter the open and idyllic landscape of the Belgian Zwin region. Here you'll find spireless church towers, winding dikes, perfectly straight canals, poplars and pollard willows, and monumental buildings. If you look a little closer, you'll still see remnants of forts and defense lines scattered throughout the landscape. Nowadays, however, you can enjoy all the beauty and delicacies in the former basin of the Zwin, the inlet that once connected Bruges to the North Sea. During the journey to Bruges, you'll cycle along the Leopold Canal and the Damse Vaart, the canal commissioned by Napoleon that connects Bruges with Sluis. In picturesque Damme, a medieval fortified town, you'll get a taste of the splendor of Bruges, one of the cities often called the Venice of the North. Its medieval center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You'll cycle into the city along the Ringvaart, the canal that runs east of the old town. Bruges is so rich in history and culture that one day isn't really enough to explore it. Bruges is famous for its lace, but is also considered the chocolate capital: there are more than fifty chocolatiers. They make, among other things, the typical Brugsche Swaentjes. You'll cycle back towards the Netherlands through the polder. Just past Bruges, you'll pass Male Castle. This originally medieval fortress once housed the Counts of Flanders; today it's privately owned. During this section of the route, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy any Brugsche Swaentjes you might have purchased at your leisure.