From the front of the Ostend train station, cross the canal towards the church and then turn right along the water, passing fish merchants and fishing boats - all the first signs of what is to come.

The path curves left and joins the promenade. The crowds can be thick for this section, so take some extra caution as you pass the casino and the string of cafes and bathing cabins. The long pillared arcade that lines the way on the left is the former Royal Gallery, built by Leopold II around the turn of the century; the far end is the Thermae Palace Hotel, added in the 1930s.

Leaving Ostend, the crowds thin out, making this a nice spot for that swim break. In the far distance, the city of Nieuwpoort is just visible.

Well-preserved dunes appear on the left, truly coming alive after passing the town of Raversijde, where Second World War anti-aircraft guns and pillboxes sill survey the sea. These are the remains of Hitler's Atlantic Wall, now preserved in a fascinating open-air museum.

Follow signs for bike path 80 and then 81, passing through Middelkerke. Coming into the town of Westende, the route passes a gothic-style sculpture of a back-hoe, and then a tall wooden bee-hive. On the far side of town, after the windsurf rentals, follow signs for path 81 and 12 to the left and away from the water.

The route makes a series of turns through town here and then heads out into farmland, with cows lazing about in the fields, even in some cases foraging for grass right up to the edge of more remnants of the Atlantic Wall. A wind farm and rows of solar panels at the entrance to Nieuwpoort remind us of the future, though.

At the Ijzer river, turn right, and then left at the intersection, crossing a series of canals and then turning right at the T junction. Follow signs for path 67 around the round-a-bout and off to the left, through Nieuwpoort Stad, or the city centre of Nieuwpoort.

Stick to the water's edge, past the rows of docked yachts. The path becomes a separate paved bike way here and eventually peters out to the west of the iconic red-and-white lighthouse on the beach of Nieuwpoort aan Zee, a quieter seaside town well removed from the crowds of Ostend.

Distance: 23 kilometres
Difficulty: Easy if the wind is at your back, but a different story entirely if it's not
Time: 1.5 hours