Circular route through the land of the wateringues

Park near the Hennuin Movable Bridge.

(S/E) Cross the Hennuin Movable Bridge over the canal. Turn right and walk alongside the canal. Take the^first street on the left to reach the Cannel Bridge. Turn left again to return to the Movable Bridge.
Turn right into Rue du Canal. Follow the canal to reach a sluice gate; read the information board to find out all about the maintenance of the drainage channels.

(1) Turn round and head back to the Pont Mobile.

(S/E) Carry on straight ahead, still following the canal. Join the D218, Route de Gravelines. Take the street on the left, towards Grand’Large. Look out for the^fourth information panel: ‘Ceux qui Hem savent pourquoi’. Cross the blue footbridge over the old lock to reach a crossroads of footpaths.

(2) Turn right, cross the bridge and continue straight on, following the old branch of the canal. Carry on towards the wooded area, following the Calais–Saint-Omer Canal. You’ll reach the Hennuin Lock.

(3) Continue along the canal. At the junction of the canals, go between the two trees just before the green fence. Turn left and enter the copse. After the three steps, you’ll reach the junction from the outward journey.

(2) Turn left and follow the same route as on the way there to return to the Pont Mobile (S/E).

Shortly afterwards (2), on the left, you’ll see a row of poplars planted for their ability to draw up and thus retain water. On the horizon, you can make out the first hills of Artois, and in the foreground, the Plaine des Wateringues. Discover the astonishing evolution of the Aa delta on the information board.
(3) You are on the islet of Hennuin, which was formed by silt from the canal. Here, a willow grove has taken root.
Watergangs, wateringues, vantelles – these are all terms specific to our region, used to describe the ingenious network of waterways, locks and pumps devised by man since the Middle Ages to ensure, century after century, that water is drained out to sea – unless, of course, the historical record is not telling us the whole story.