Description:

Geography and Transport

Saint Fraigne itself is a hamlet although the commune covers an area of 23.65km².  It is situated in the North West corner of the Charente department, at an altitude of 88m to 158m, close to the Charante Maritime boarder, North West of Angouleme and North East of Cognac.  The RN10 (Poitiers-Bordeaux) is approximately 20km east of the hamlet.  Flights direct to the UK are available 3 times per week from Angouleme airport.  Ruffec (20km North West) is the closest rail link to both the TGV mainline and the TER regional network.
See also:  Barbezieres, Aigre

Climate

Nearest weather averages at Ruffec show typically cool winters and warm (sometimes hot summers).  Saint Fraigne receives around 1900 hours of sunshine per year.  The warmest months are June, July and August (24C to 27C), but May, September and October temperatures also range between 18C and 23C.  Night time temperatures in Summer range from 13C to 15C.  Winter temperatures are typically 9C to 10C (day) and 3C to 4C (night).  Wettest months are Oct, Nov and Dec (over 94mm), whilst the driest are Mar, Jun and Aug (between 39.5mm and 52.7mm).  Saint Fraigne is part of a zone which receives more than 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

The village is situated on marshes between two tributaries of the River Charente, the Osme and the Couture, and these marsh conditions provide an ideal environment where flax, hemp, peat and maize flourish.  From spring to autumn the ‘ephemeral gardens' (created by young landscape gardeners) also thrive in the damp conditions.  The Trois Fontaines Lake near Villefagnan (11km) has a beach and offers bathing, boating, a childrens play area and fishing.  4km away at Les Gors is another lake suitable for fishing and bathing.  Canoeing is available at nearby at the free Rejallant Leisure Base in Condac (22km), where there is also a small beach, play area, barbecue facilities and a restaurant overlooking the water.  Also close-by (12km) is the village of Tusson and its Medieval Herb Garden.

Facilities

Supermarkets and other facilities are available at Ruffec (20km).

Economy

Saint Fraigne is part of the Angouleme economic zone, which has an unemployment rate of 9.7%, compared against the regional rate of 8.6% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).

Education

 Nursery and Primary schools can be found in nearby Aigre, Tusson and Couture d'Argenson, all approximately 8km away.  High Schools (College) are available at Aigre or Villefagnan (10km), and College (lycee) at Ruffec 20km. 

Key Stats

Most of the properties in Saint Fraigne are main residences 76.9%, this is lower than the national average and 17.9% of properties are classed as second homes (NA 10.1%).  There are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (31.7% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also higher (24.4% vs 18.2%), while 25.6% of the population are under 19 years of age.  There are more males than females resident here (51.2%).

Key Facilities and Services:

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