Marais Poitevin

From the 11th C. onwards the sea withdrew from an area of some 15,000 hectares/37,500 acres, now covered by a patchwork of arable fields and pastureland, through which countless little streams and waterways wind their way, lined by trees (poplar, ash, alder) and meadows. The whole area - Marais Poitevin - is now a nature reserve. It can be visited by car, but to see it properly you must travel by boat - from Coulon (11th C. church), Arçais, La Garette, Magné or St-Hilaire- la-Palud. A distinction is made between the sparsely populated Marais Mouillé ("wet marsh"), known as Venise Verte ("Green Venice"), and the drained area near the coast. Also worth seeing are the villages on the Sèvre in the area round Niort and the Aquarium at Coulon.