Vasles, Deux Sevres

Description:

Geography and Transport Links

Vasles is a small town (commune area 89.16km²) located on the eastern side of Deux Sevres, close to the border with the department of Vienne.  The town is situated to the west of Poitiers.  There are no major routes in the near vicinity, and Vasles is located at the crossroads of the D524 and D59.  The N149 passes to the north, and the A10 to the south (Poitiers-Saintes).  The nearest commercial airport is at Poitiers Biard (32km).  The nearest rail link is at Rouille (21km) for the TER regional service, but TGV is available from Poitiers Gare, offering a number of services to Paris (2h20mins).
See also:  Menigoute, Parthenay

Climate

Average summer temperatures are 23C to 26C (11C to 13C low), and in winter this drops to 8C to 9C (2C to 3C low).  The wettest month is Oct with 54mm, whilst March is the driest month with 26mm.  Vasles is within an area that receives around 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

Sheep farming is the mainstay of the economy in Vasle, and the towns flagship tourist attraction is the 6ha Mouton Village, a collection of around 20 breeds of sheep with educational (audio) tours, demonstrations, exhibitions and the chance to buy wool and derivative produce.  Nearby is the 15^th century Chateau des Forges (4km), an upmarket holiday destination and 27 hole golf-club.  Chateau de la Sayette is a 15c castle with 4 gardens and two 300 year old sun dials, open daily and free.

Facilities

The town has a number of restaurants, but basic shopping facilities.  The nearest large supermarket is at Vouille (16km), for a swimming pool the nearest is at Sanxay (11km), and for a cinema the nearest is at Parthenay (21km).

Economy

Vasles is part of the Nord Deux Sevres economic zone, which has an unemployment rate of 5.9%, compared against the regional rate of 8.6% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006). 

Education

There is a state nursery/primary school in Vasles, but for secondary school both Latille and Menigoute are (9km).  Colleges (lycee) are in Parthenay (21km).

Key Stats

Most of the properties in Vasles are main residences 79% and 11.6% of properties are classed as second homes.  There are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (38% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also higher (31% vs 18.2%).  18.2% of the local population are under 19 years of age.  There are fewer females than males resident here (49.8% vs 50.2%).

Key Facilities and Services: