Through the dunes and the port area of Bruges

Through Heist-aan-Zee you cycle to Zeebrugge. This is the port area of the city of Bruges, which lies 12 km inland and is connected to its port by the Boudewijn Canal. Until 1977, the Heist Hoog lighthouse or the High lighthouse of Heist formed, together with the Low lighthouse of Heist, 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 due to 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. Today Blankenberge is one of the most important seaside resorts on the Belgian coast, with the 350-metre-long Blankenberge pier, built in 1933, as its eye-catcher. Between Blankenberge, Wenduine, Nieuwmunster and Zuienkerke lies the Uitkerkse Polders nature reserve with its meadows with drinking pools, ditches and reed beds. It is the most important meadow bird area in Flanders. In the spring you will find hundreds of courting meadow birds such as the black-tailed godwit, lapwing, avocet, redshank and oystercatcher. In the winter the greylag goose, lesser white-fronted goose and barnacle goose find their permanent home here. It is a landscape with low-lying salty grasslands - where brackish water bubbles up to the surface - and higher-lying lush grasslands: the ingredients for a unique ecosystem with special plants and animals. You cycle to Bruges. In the port area you follow the Baudouin Canal, which connects Bruges with its port Zeebrugge. The Baudouin Canal was dug between 1896 and 1905. It is about 12 kilometres long and lies entirely within the city limits of Bruges. Enjoy the magnificent view 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 kilometres of sandy beach there. In Knokke-Heist you can shop 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 that the place has to offer.