The Veules emerges at an altitude of 65 ft (20 m), at a place called the Cavée d'Iclon, and flows onto the Channel. It meanders through the village of Veules-les-Roses that revolved around it before the arrival of tourism. Only 0,74 miles (1,194 m) long, the Veules was essential to the inhabitants, who grew watercress at its source in the Middle Ages. It also fed rapeseed and flax mills for the weavers who used it to wash their wool. A path known as the Champs-Élysées borders the river that can be crossed on foot in some alleys.