Saint Georges d'Oleron, Charente Maritime

Description:

Geography and Transport

Saint Georges d'Oleron is a commune towards the north of the Ile d'Oleron, situated off the west coast of the Charente Maritime.  The commune has an area of 46.55km^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 Saint Pierre is situated in a central position.  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, La Bree les Bains

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 Saint Georges d'Oleron has two separate harbours.  The larger Port de Boyardville is situated to the south of the commune, and is close to 600ha of forest, as well as a fine sandy beach.  The Port de Douhet is to the north east of the commune, offering a yachting marina with 350 berths, and facilities such as shops, restaurants and a disco.  Each summer Douhet hosts a Medieval festival.  From Boyardville it is possible to take a boat trip to Ile d'Aix and La Rochelle.

Saint Georges has the most km (15) of beaches on the Ile d'Oleron, with the west coast offering good conditions for surfing and body boarding (the best being at L'Acheneau), and the easterly beaches offering calmer bathing conditions, such as those at Boyardville (north) and Saumonards (south).  There are a number of marked trails for walking and cycling, particularly within the forest at Saumonards.

Fort Boyard which is actually part of the administration of the Ile d'Aix, is actually an equal distance  between Aix and the beaches at Boyardville.  The fort which was completed in 1866, was for a time used as a prison, is now host to a TV series and cannot be visited by tourists.  St Georges d'Oleron has a 11^th century Romanesque church which was classified as a historic site in 1931.  The church has been restored in 1968, with further restoration work commencing in 2002.  This area of Oleron has medieval fish-locks, traditionally used to feed the population by trapping fish at low tide. 

Economy

St Georges 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 primarily on tourism and commerce.

Facilites

Georges d'Oleron has most amenities including general stores, cafes and restaurants, if you need a supermarket just visit nearby St Pierre d'Oleron.

Education

There is a state nursery school, primary school and a college (Lycee), but for secondary school the nearest facilities are at St Pierre d'Oleron (5km).

Key Stats

28.9% of the properties in St Georges d'Oleron are main residences and 65.2% are classed as second homes.  There are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (39.4% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also higher (34.2% vs 18.2%).  16.7% of the local population are under 19 years of age.  There are fewer males than females resident here (48.3% vs 51.7%).

Key Facilities and Services: