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

This route northeast of Bruges is a treat. From the village of Heille in Zeeland Flanders, you cycle into the open and idyllic landscape of the Belgian Zwin region. Here you will find church towers without spires, winding dikes, straight canals, poplars and pollard willows and monumental buildings. If you look a little closer, you will see the remains of forts and lines here and there in the landscape. Nowadays, however, you can enjoy all the beauty and delicacies in the former basin of the Zwin, the sea arm that once connected Bruges to the North Sea. During the trip to Bruges, you will cycle along the Leopold Canal and the Damse Vaart, the canal dug by order of Napoleon that connects Bruges to Sluis. In the picturesque Damme, a medieval fortified town, you will get a foretaste of the splendor of Bruges, one of the cities that is also called the Venice of the North. The medieval center is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. You cycle into the city along the Ringvaart, the canal that runs along the east of the old city centre. Bruges is so rich in history and culture that one day is not enough to explore the city. Bruges is known 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 cycle back towards the Netherlands via the polder. Just past Bruges you cycle past Male Castle. The Counts of Flanders once lived in this originally medieval castle, today it is privately owned. During this part of the route you have enough time to enjoy any Brugsche Swaentjes you may have purchased at your leisure.