Saint Trojan les Bains, Ile d'Oleron, Charente Maritime

Description:

Geography and Transport

Saint Trojan les Bains is a small town situated on the southern tip of the Ile d'Oleron, off the west coast of Charente Maritime.  The commune has an area of 17.55km^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.  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:  Le Grand Village Plage, Le Chateau 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

Saint Trojan les Bains is a seaside resort, with a number of fine sandy beaches situated around the Forest of Saint Trojan, an expanse of pine trees planted in the 19^th century to protect the village from the drifting sands.  The beaches at La Petite Plage and Plage de Manson are sheltered and ideal for children, and here it is possible to attend the sailing school or hire small sailing boats, wind-surfers and jet-skis.  This is also a departure point for the Bateau-Passeur taking people across to the Port de la Grave at La Tremblade on the mainland.

La Plage de Gatseau is a south-facing beach on the edge of the forest, where there are a number of cycle and walking paths marked out.  There is a Thalassotherapy centre here, and it is also possible to join the tourist train at this point.  La Grande Plage is a 12km stretch of surfing beach backed by the forest and dunes, and is said to be one of the most beautiful in Europe.  There is a surf school situated here, and the southern section of the beach is a naturist zone.

There is a seasonal tourist train that travels along a picturesque 12km stretch of line between St Trojan and the beach at Maumusson.  There is an oyster museum sited in Saint Trojan, and it is possible to walk amongst the oyster beds.  There is a Mimosa Festival held every year in February, with floats, bands and street entertainment celebrating the extensive presence of the mimosa in the town.

Economy

Saint Trojan was historically a fishing and salt-making village that turned to oyster farming and tourism from the end of the 19^th century.  It 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). 

Facilities

St Trojan has most facilities but if you need a supermarket nearby Grand Village Plage has one.

Education

There is a nursery school in the village, but the nearest primary school is in Grand Village Plage (4km), and the nearest secondary school is in St Pierre d'Oleron (17km).  For college (Lycee) the nearest facilities are at Saint George d'Oleron (21km).    

Key Stats

37.5% of the properties in Saint Trojan are main residences and 59.4% are classed as second homes.  There are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (30.4% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also higher (26.9% vs 18.2%).  23.9% of the local population are under 19 years of age.  There are fewer males than females resident here (48.9% vs 51.1%).

Key Facilities and Services: