Cycling Through the Water

Fietsen door het Water opened in 2016 in the Bokrijk domain and is a simple idea executed carefully: a two-hundred-metre stretch of cycle path runs straight through a pond in a concrete trench, so the surface of the water sits at about eye level for a cyclist on either side, with no railings, and riders pass through the pond rather than round or over it. Water levels are managed so the relationship stays constant. It was the first of a series of Limburg cycling installations that also includes Cycling Through the Trees, a spiral ramp rising into a pine plantation, and Cycling Through the Heathland, and together they have made the province's already dense cycle network a destination in itself.

What you actually see

• Water at eye level - the path sunk into the pond with no railings.
• A two-hundred-metre trench - the sunken section through the water.
• The Limburg node network - the numbered cycle system it sits on.
• Companion installations - Cycling Through the Trees nearby.

When to go

April to October for cycling weather; the path is open year round and free. One hour for this section, a day to link the three installations by bike. Weekends are busy and the trench can queue.

Honest expectations

It is two hundred metres and takes a minute to ride; the visit is the wider cycle route around it. Weekends bring queues and people stopping for photographs, which annoys riders. You need a bike, which means hiring one. There is no shelter.

Nearby

Bokrijk open-air museum is in the same domain; Cycling Through the Trees is a short ride.