Dolus d'Oleron, Charente Maritime

Description:

Geography and Transport

Dolus d'Oleron is a commune situated on the Ile d'Oleron, off the west coast of the Charente Maritime.  The commune has an area of 29.02km^2.  The main access road to the island is the D728 via Marennes, and then over the 3km (toll free) viaduct built in 1966.  The D728 links the island with Saintes (63km) and this gives access to the A10 motorway and other main routes.  The main road through the island is the D26, and Dolus d'Oleron is situated in a central position, to the south of the capital St Pierre.  There are no main rail links here, and the nearest access to the regional railway is at Saujon (49km).  The nearest commercial airport offering flights to the UK is La Rochelle.
See also:  St Pierre d'Oleron

Climate

The Islands position off the Atlantic coast means that summers are warm (but not too hot) and winters are temperate.  Average summer temperatures are between 20C and 23C (15C to 17C low), and in winter this drops to 9C to 10C (6C to 7C low).  Wettest month is November with an average of 62mm, and the driest periods are Mar, Jun and Aug (23mm to 25mm).  Oleron is within the sunniest part of the Atlantic coast, with over 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

The commune of Dolus d'Oleron is bordered by beaches on both the east and west sides.  On the west side is both Perroche and Remigeasse, backed by the forest of St Trojan, where the Atlantic waves provide ideal surfing, wind surfing and kite-surfing conditions.  On the east side, the beaches are more sheltered and the sea calmer, and this side of the commune faces the mainland and the islands of Aix, Madame, Re and Fort Boyard.

The village of Dolus d'Oleron is built around the St Andre Church, originally a 11^th century structure, it has been re-built a number of times, and the latest incarnation is of 17^th and 18^th century origin.  The centre of the village is pedestrianised in summer, and has basic shopping and facilities.  To the south is a crossroads for access to neighbouring villages such as Chateau d'Oleron, St Trojan les Bains, Remigeasse and Boyardville, and it is close to here that there is a modern retail and industrial park.  This area is also host to a number of campsites, and nearby is a large bird sanctuary and nature park (Marais aux Oiseaux), set within 50ha of forest and marsh land.

Economy

St. Pierre d'Oleron is part of the La Rochelle economic zone, which has an unemployment rate of 9.8%, compared against the regional rate of 8.6% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).  The local economy is dependent on tourism, and commerce.

Facilities

Dolus d'oleron has the facilities you would expect from a village of its size including a supermarket, bakers and restaurants.

Education

There is a nursery and primary school here, but the nearest secondary school is in St Pierre d'Oleron (6km), and for college (Lycee) the nearest facilities are at Saint George d'Oleron (10km).    

Key Stats

35.2% of the properties in Dolus d'Oleron are main residences and 62.1% are classed as second homes.  There are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (33% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also higher (29.7% vs 18.2%).  19.4% of the local population are under 19 years of age.  There are fewer males than females resident here (47.4% vs 52.6%).

Key Facilities and Services: