This marshy zone that stretches out on either bank of the Sèvre Niortaise forms a delicate patchwork of green spread over some 32,000 ha. The wet marshlands, thus named because they are flooded at times, are home to poplar, ash, willow and alder trees. In summertime, the wet marshlands paint a delightful rural picture, dotted with footbridges, washhouses, locks, fountains and dovecots. This refreshingly cool scenery is ideally explored on board a boat.