Charente Maritime - What's the Climate really like?

[JohnBoy]

I suppose our next port of call on the property hunt has to be the Charente/Charente Maritime.
One of the things I hate most about the UK is the continual (or so it appears) slate-grey skies. I'm not so much interested in temperature as in sunshine, and I have it on good authority (via magazines and websites) that the unique micro-climate of the Charente 'provides almost as many hours of sunshine per annum as the Cote d'Azur'.

Can this be substantiated? Is it a fact or a little poetic licence by the Tourist Board?

I'd be grateful for input from anybody resident in these areas. Wherever I decide to settle has to be sunny!

John

[suegreer]

>I suppose our next port of
>call on the property hunt
>has to be the Charente/Charente
>Maritime.
>Wherever I decide to settle
>has to be sunny!
>John

I don't live there (yet) but was reliably quoted the following url - it should reveal all you want to know about sunshine in the Charente.

http://www.cabinet-papin.fr/accueil-.htm

Sue

[Peterd]

In the latest edition of Living France (Oct) there is a very good feature on the area which includes temperature, etc information. After five years of searching we purchased our house (two years ago) in the CM simply because of the micro climate and sunshine hours. I have just looked at the forecast for this week and temps remain at 22/25deg with plenty of sunshine. Additionally it is not an area which seems to be (yet!) overun by Brits.

PeterD

[AGB]

Hi,
The climate is as good as its said to be - I've been involved in business in the CM since 1995, and had the pleasure of living there for 9 months in 1999 / 2000. Summers warm and sunny - warm long into the evenings, winters can be cold (regular frosts and down to -10 degrees at night), but even when it is cold on winters days the skies are big and blue and the sun shines.
From experience I'd say the stats that show sunshine hours are correct - they just don't tell you how cold it can get.
Good luck - its a beautiful part of france.

G.

[0MariaddMMyyyy0Falseen-USTrue]

We were house hunting in Poitou Charente in march and it was 75 lovely blue skies. We have just finished our evening meal outside on the terrace and it must be about 80. Living on the Isle of Wight for 7 years I had hoped we would see even more sun and yes we do. If its any help while your househunting we have a gite and chambre d'hote. www.le-tilleul.com

[kento]

Hi,
I too am keenly interested in climate and I have had a look at the French weather site www.meteo.fr
I do not speak French but my reading of their historical averages is that the Charente/Maritime indeed does give extremely long hours of sunshine. However, they also indicate that the average rainfall is pretty much the same as London's. Does this rain then fall mostly at night (I hope) or does it fall more heavily and for shorter periods? Does anybody have any "rainy" experiences to recount?

Regards,

Kent.

[SE Becks]

Friends came back today from a short weekend courtesy of Buzz to the Saintes area and the weather was as hot as the summer!

Hi Dunkie and Jem. Still dreaming of those sultry evenings! Suzanna

[Mjc]

We have lived in CM for six years. Sunshine is as good as they say, but one must not pretend that it is ALWAYS beautiful weather. During our time, we have had the famous tempest, we have had snow (albeit only twice), we have had frost, but again fairly infrequently and never long lasting, we have had an ice storm which made the roads treacherous and caused the police to close the motorway, and last year we had a very, very wet winter and spring. But having said all of that, we probably remember these things because they are the exceptions - and anyway the global climate is changing.
In summary, the climate is very good - far better than UK, longer summers and shorter winters, but be prepared to accept the unexpected.
Godd hunting in "our" beautiful departement.