Dun-le-Palestel, Creuse, Limousin

Description:

Geography and Transport Links

Dun-le Palestel is a village situated in the north and west of Creuse, not far from La Souterraine.  The D913 runs through the village, linking it with Crozant in the north, whilst the D951 links with La Souterraine and the RN145 towards the south and west.  There is no rail link in Dun-le-Palestel, and the nearest is at La Souterraine for access to TER services.  The nearest airport is Limoges-Bellegarde, with an inceasing range of services to UK destinations.  The commune area is 9.81km².

Climate

Being at an altitude of between 294m to 507m, the commune of Dun-le-Palestel receives slightly more rainfall than more westerly towns such as Bellac, and is similar to that of La Souterraine.  The wettest month is November with an average 11cm of precipitation, and the driest is September with an average precipitation of 5.77cm.  Average summer temperatures range from 23C to 24C (13C to 15C low), and in winter this drops to 6C to 7C (2C to 3C low).  Dun-le-Palestel is part of a zone which receives between 1750 and 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

A pretty village, Dun-le-Palestel is popular with the British as a place to settle or buy a holiday home.  There is a chateau here that is now home to the post office, and other interesting architecture includes the medieval wash-house, which was still used up until the 1950s and which was restored in 2005.  The other architecture of note is the porch of the old church, which was rebuilt at the front of the maison d'hospice in 1913, and is classified as a historic building.  This part of Creuse is popular for outdoor activities, with the countryside ideal for the likes of walking, cycling and horse-riding.  There are many lakes and rivers in the vicinity, with the Pays de Trois Lacs to the east, the Eguzon gorge to the north and the etangs of La Grande Gazine and Chaume both nearby to the west.

Economy

Dun-le-Palestel is the headquarters of the communauté de communes du pays Dunois, a collection of 13 communes with a population of over 6,000. It is part of the economic zone of Guéret, which has an unemployment rate of 7.2%, compared against the regional rate of 7.2% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).

Facilities

Dun le Palestel has most amenities including a general store and several restaurants.  The nearest cinemas and Swimming Pools can be found in La Souterraine (18km).

Education

There is a state nursery/primary school and secondary school (College) here, but for college (Lycee) the nearest is at Saint Vaury (17Km).  

Key Stats

Of the properties in Dun le Palestel 74.2% are classed as primary residences, with 16.2.1% being classed as second homes.  There are more females than males resident here (53.2% vs 46.8%), and there are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (41% vs 21.3%). The number of retired people is also more (34.4% vs 18.2%).  The percentage of people below the age of 19 is lower than the national average (14.8% vs 24.6%)

Key Facilities and Services: