Through dunes and the port area of Bruges

You cycle through Heist-aan-Zee to Zeebrugge. This is the port area of the city of Bruges, which is located 12 km inland and is connected to its port by the Boudewijn Canal. Until 1977, the Heist Hoog lighthouse or the High Heist lighthouse, together with the Low Heist lighthouse, formed a light line for the port of Zeebrugge. The concrete tower is decorated with Art Nouveau elements and brick motifs. Blankenberge was originally a fishing village where pilotage was also important. In the 19th century it became a seaside resort with the arrival of English tourism. In 1838, bathing cabins appeared on the beach. A wooden sea wall, hotels and a railway line to Heist and Bruges were built. Nowadays Blankenberge is one of the most important seaside resorts on the Belgian coast, with the 350 meter long Blankenberge pier, built in 1933, as an eye-catcher. Between Blankenberge, Wenduine, Nieuwmunster and Zuienkerke lies the Uitkerkse Polders nature reserve with its meadows with drinking pools, canals and reed collars. . It is the most important meadow bird area in Flanders. In the spring you will find hundreds of courting meadow birds such as the godwit, lapwing, avocet, redshank and oystercatcher. In winter, the gray goose, pink-footed goose and white-fronted goose find their permanent home there. It is a landscape with low-lying saline grasslands - where brackish water bubbles up to the surface - and higher-lying fatty grasslands: the ingredients for a unique ecosystem with special plants and animals. You cycle to Bruges. In the port area you follow the Boudewijn Canal, which connects Bruges with its port Zeebrugge. The Boudewijn Canal was dug between 1896 and 1905. It is approximately 12 kilometers long and is located entirely within the city limits of Bruges. Enjoy the majestic sight of the many wind turbines along the water: the pioneers of sustainable energy. Your route ends in Knokke-Heist, one of the most famous seaside resorts in Belgium. It is a popular holiday destination, because you will find no less than 12 kilometers of sandy beach. In Knokke-Heist you can enjoy shopping in countless boutiques, immerse yourself in visual art in the many galleries and enjoy the culinary traditions of the North Sea coast in one of the hundreds of restaurants in the city.