Bruges to Burgh-Haamstede

The weather looked pretty nasty and it was cold when we rode out of Bruges. The plus was that we had a decent tailwind and we made good time along the canals and rural  areas. Damme is a pleasant little town but we were really impressed with Sluis - great shopping & cafe strip overlooking a pretty canal, beautiful parkland bordering the canal- our first town in The Netherlands.
Soon we riding along with an expansive vista of the North sea with its big cargo ships & views of the cities around the bay.
We didn't linger because we were keen to catch the bike/ pedestrian ferry leaving from Breskens, which conveniently docked as we pulled up to buy tickets. It also protected us from a small passing shower, which was the only rain we saw all day.
Fish & chips was good at the ferry terminal cafe and we were off again to Middelburg, a charming town, with a spectacular town hall. Middelburg's town  square had been converted into a beach and a large beach volleyball tournament was in progress.
Leaving Middelburg we followed great bike paths, which, with our ripper of a tailwind, allowed us to reach speeds of 47km per hour on the flat. The LF1 lead us past long stretches of sandy beach - there were many people parasailing and windsurfing, all against a backdrop of wind turbines. The people heading south were doing it pretty tough though.
Our route lead us across 3 bridges spanning a North Sea inlet, the Oosterschelde. The longest bridge was at least 1.5km long and formed a protective sea wall. We had more than a normal car lane for bikes. The final bridge was side-on to the wind and it did feel a little hairy at times, especially when you felt the sea-spray on your face.
We arrived at our Vrienden op de Fiets b&b at 3.30 & were shown to our comfortable room.
Nice dinner down the street (apricot pie).