Eymoutiers, Haute Vienne, Limousin

Description:

Geography and Transport Links

Eymoutiers is a small town situated on the eastern edge of Haute Vienne, just inside the area designated as the Millevaches Natural Park.  The D979 links the town with Limoges in the west, whilst the D14 takes traffic to St Leonard de Noblat in the north.  The town has access to TER rail services on a line which connects Limoges with Meymac in the south.  The nearest airport is Limoges-Bellegarde, with year round flights to destinations in the UK.

Climate

Warm summers and moderate winters are typical for Eymoutiers, despite the communes semi-mountainous elevation of between 316m and 788m.  Average winter temperatures range from 7C to 8C (low 2C to 3C), whilst in summer this rises to 21C to 24C (12C to 15C low).  The wettest month is October with 7.26cm of precipitation, whilst the driest is March with 4.74cm on average.  Eymoutiers is part of a zone that receives between 1750 and 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

Eymoutiers is an attractive small town, set at the edge of the Millevaches Natural Park, and close to the Lac de Vassiviere with its beaches, watersports and other attractions.  The town is set on the peaceful Vienne River and is very much geared up for summer tourism, with a steam train that runs in summer on the line towards Ussel.  The town itself has a mineral museum, as well as the Espace Paul Rebeyrolle, an art exhibition centre named after the famed 20c artist who lived in Eymoutiers.  In terms of architecture, there is the Collegiate Church of St Etienne (11c and 15c) which is undergoing restoration work, as well as the 17c house of the master tanner, this being a town renowned for leather production.  As with most towns and villages in this area, the outdoors rules, with many opportunities to take advantage of the hilly countryside for walking, horse-riding and cycling, and the town also has facilities for tennis.

Economy

Eymoutiers is part of the economic zone of Limoges, which has an unemployment rate of 7.6%, compared against the regional rate of 7.2% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).  The biggest employer here is the carpentry firm Champeau with around 80 employees.

Facilities

This small town has most amenities you will need, including shops, restaurants, cinema and banks.  The nearest swimming pools are in Limoges. 

Education

There is a state nursery/primary school, secondary school (college)in Eymoutiers, and the nearest college (Lycee) is at Saint Léonard de Noblat (28km).  Limoges (43km) provides more choice of secondary schools and colleges.

Key Stats

Of the properties in Eymoutiers 76.6% are classed as primary residences, with 13.3% being classed as second homes.  There are more females than males resident here (54% vs 46%), and there are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (42.7% vs 21.3%). The number of retired people is higher (37.3% vs 18.2%).  The percentage of people below the age of 19 is lower than the national average (13.8% vs 24.6%)

Key Facilities and Services: