Bussiere Poitevine, Haute Vienne, Limousin

Description:

Geography and Transport Links

A small village (commune area 41.71km²) located in the far north west of Haute Vienne, in close proximity to the larger towns of Le Dorat, L'Isle Jourdain (Vienne) and the sous-prefecture of Bellac.  The RN147 by-passes the the village carrying traffic between Poitiers and Limoges.  The A20 motorway is some 30 minutes away in the direction of La Souterraine.  There is no rail link in Bussiere and the nearest connection is at Bellac for local TER services, with connections on to the major towns of Poitiers and Limoges.  The nearest airport is Limoges-Bellegarde, with an increasing number of year-round services on offer to the UK.  Poitiers-Biard Airport also offers year-round flights to the UK, and is just over an hour away.

Climate

Despite being inland, Bussiere benefits from the warming effects of the Atlantic Ocean, with cool [but not excessively cold], short winters, and warm [occasionally very hot summers].  To the south and west, the temperatures become cooler due to the increased elevation of the land, with increased rainfall.  The wettest month is November with 7.18cm of precipitation, and the driest is March with 4.74cm.  Average summer high temperatures range between 21-24C (low 12-15C).  In winter, average daytime temperatures are between 7-8C (low 2-3C).  Bussiere Poitevine is part of a zone which receives between 1750 and 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

Being a country village, Bussiere-Poitevine is popular for outdoor activities such as walking and fishing, and is near to the beautiful Gartempe River.  The village has a twelfth century church (with fresco), and nearby is the Vauzelle bridge.  The village is close to the outdoor activity centre at Lathus, where good quality canoeing, climbing and walking are available, as well as camping.  A leading equestrian centre is also available in Lathus.  The Val de Vienne motor racing circuit is not far away near L'Isle Jourdain, where you can also go bungee jumping from the famous viaduct.  Key tourist attractions such as Snakes Island (La Trimouille) and the Planete de Crocodiles (Civaux) are close by, and Civaux also has an aquatic complex called Abyssea.  Every year around the end of March, the local athletics club organises a 20km running race, called Les Foulées, with around 400 participants.

Economy

As part of the Bellac employment zone, Bussiere and the surrounding communes are dominated by sheep and cattle breeding, and the support of those industries.  The largest business in the village is Thimonnier, a store used by local farmers and tradesmen, but like an old-fashioned hardware store sells a huge range of items.  Nearby is Eco-Entrepot, a large warehouse offering end-of-line items at reduced prices, such as furniture, household items and DIY supplies.  Bussiere Poitevine is part of the economic zone of Bellac, which has an unemployment rate of 6.1%, compared against the regional rate of 7.2% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).

Facilities

This small village has most amenities including two general stores, a hairdresser, bar and a restaurant.

There is an outdoor swimming pool at Bellac (20km) that opens between May and September.  For year round swimming you would need to travel to Montmorillon (25km).  The village welcomes a mobile cinema every year during the summer.

Education

There is one state Nursery/Primary  School.  Secondary Schools (College) can be found in nearby Bellac (20km) and Le Dorat (15km).  For further education, options are at Le Dorat, Bellac and Montmorillon.

Key Stats

Of the properties in Bussiere Poitevine 64.2% are classed as primary residences, with 20.1% being classed as second homes.  There are more females than males resident here (50.4% vs 49.6%), and there are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (44.7% vs 21.3%). The number of retired people is higher (38.3% vs 18.2%).  The percentage of people below the age of 19 is lower than the national average (14.3% vs 24.6%)

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