Les hortillonnages are an area of traditionally market gardens supplying the needs of Amiens and its huge, approximately 300 hectares dissected by 65km of canals (very small canals certainly not big enough for Soraya). There are many market gardens producing fresh produce for Amiens and increasingly private pleasure gardens. Some are derelict, most are amazing. A maze of paths and canals connects all together. This is where the 'passerelles' come in. They are small pedestrian bridges over the tiny canals allowing access to the gardens but not impeding the use of the canal.
Artistic
There are dozens of them in a miriad of styles. The only commonality is the clearance below to allow the tradition gondola type boats to bring the produce out.
Brutal
Mrs Miggins
Good news for the artistic boaters who want to visit les hortillonnages is "Art, villes & paysage, Hortillonnages Amiens" in the summer. This is an arts trail around the hortillonnages, L'île aux fagots et l'île Robinson by foot and by small electric boats. It's great fun navigating around the miriad of tiny canals and lakes finding the mooring for a particular sculpture, installation or contemporary garden design, finding and viewing the installation then off to the next piece and of course a picnic on the water. Dozens of installations. One of our favourite (however not very photogenic) was a woodland with 60 cookoo clocks hidden up in the trees. They were motion activated so as you walked around the clock would be triggered and the traditional cookoo sung out. Possibly not the most 'artistic' piece, but that's another subject, however it was great fun and somehow quite magical. Another piece was this large floating hollow white box of tape that you could navigate through quite bazaar.
Navigating
