Turenne, Corrèze, Limousin

Description:

Geography and Transport Links

Turenne is a village located in the south west of Corrèze, south of Brive-la-Gaillard and close to the Limousin-Midi-Pyrénées border.  The village is on the D8 which connects it north towards the A20 autoroute and Brive, and south towards Vayrac.  The village is connected to the TER rail network, with a bigger range of onward services available at Brive.  The nearest airport offering tear-round flights to the UK is Limoges-Bellegarde, but other options include Bergerac (136km) and Rodez (122km), the latter of which is limited to summer flights only.

Climate

The climate here is temperate, with warm summers and short, and not excessively cold winters.  Average summer temperatures range between 24C to 27C (12C to 14C low), and in winter this drops to 9C to 10C (2C to 3C low).  The wettest month on average is April with 6.04cm of precipitation, whilst the driest is February with 3.33cm.  Turenne is part of a zone which receives between 1750 and 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France (les plus beaux villages de France), Turenne is just 14km south of the major town of Brive-la-Gaillard.  Characterised by the two remaining towers of the old chateau, the village is largely made up of houses dating from the 15c and 16c.  The César Tower and surrounding garden is regarded as a 'must see', affording fine views over the village and surrounding countryside.

Economy

Turenne is part of the Brive economic zone, which has an unemployment rate of 6.4%, compared against the regional rate of 7.2% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).

Facilities

Turenne has some facilities, including a general shop, restaurant and hairdresser.  The nearest swimming pool is Brive (14km).

Education

There is a state nursery/primary school here, and the nearest state secondary school (college) is at nearby Meyssac (10km).  For college (lycee) Brive is closest at 14km.

Key Stats

Of the properties in Turenne, 67.7% are classed as primary residences, with 26.4% being classed as second homes.  There are more males than females resident here (50.8% vs 49.2%), and there are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (31.5% vs 21.3%). The number of retired people is also more (24.8% vs 18.2%).  The percentage of people below the age of 19 is lower than the national average (19.5% vs 24.6%).

Key Facilities and Services: