Can You Please Help Me With Some Weather Research?!!

[ali-cat]

Hi all,

I have been checking the weather in South Charente & Northern Aquitaine for a while - but it would be brilliant to hear from you folks who are actually living there!!  Can you let me know what the various seasons are like?  Hot hot does it usually get, how wet & just how cold can the winters be?

The internet & books are great, as a general guide - but as they usually clump all of Poitou Charente in together, they are not detailed enough about the different areas.

PLEASE tell me where you live & what it's like - I not to proud to beg!!  PLEASE!!

[Tresco]

Yer a flipping monkey ali[6]

You already asked this question a few weeks ago! Still I know it's a big factor for you because of your back.

I'm between Saintes and Cognac. It's very hot from say May onwards, till the end of September. You know about the drought last year, but the year before we had the odd rainstorm with a social conscience. It rained at night once a week or every couple of weeks, and stopped at 7.30am. Nice

The year before this winter the one just gone, it seemed to rain a lot, but it stopped around the middle of April.

The winter can be cold and grey, but nothing like Belfast.

However, the sky is so big and so grey, if you live in the countryside you almost long for a row of red brick terraces to break it up.

Another thread about weather in Charente (bit vague but there you go). If you search using charente weather, and look at the responses after the first two pages of posts, you may find more.

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/512270/ShowPost.aspx

[ali-cat]

I'm actually prefer to be called a "cheeky monkey"!!  [:P]

Now that we are pretty sure we can afford to live in France, Mark's gone off on a "Is Charente/Dordogne the place for us?" worry.  To be honest it's not really because of my back that I'm worried about the weather.  Yes, the cold, damp winters do me in - but unfortunately I was diagnoised with skin cancer about 8 years ago - have had the all clear for 5 years, now - but still can't actually sunbathe.  I'm always covered up, from head to toe in clothes & factor 40, so I don't really want to mover any further south!!  I love the sun - but it doesn't love me !! Boo Hoo!!

I think the area around the Dordogne is probably best for us - but just wanted to check.  Thought if folks from different towns & hamlets would let me know what it's like for them - & if they find it too hot themselves - it would help. 

I'm getting carried away with all this checking - aren't I?!! [*-)] 

[Anton Redman]

We moved only 100 miles South from the Haute Vienne and despite being somewhere which was pretty warm by Limousin standards seemed to have gained about 3 degrees C.    

[Gail Smith]

We live in Northern Dordogne between Riberac and Perigueux and it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter.  We have four seasons here and the winters although colder than the UK are drier and generally brighter.  We dont get many of those interminable dank grey days and if you do get a couple then you know it's only a matter of days until it's bright again.  February and March are wet but we need that wet for the grass.  Today we have been outside working in the garden in our shorts as it was lovely, warm and sunny.  Our gite guest had a moment of madness and decided to get in our unheated pool today, but I wouldnt recommend that!

The summers are hot and sometimes a bit too hot for me but if you adopt the french way and close the shutters to keep the house cool then it is a welcome respite to come into the house.

I wouldnt want to be any further south than we are because of the grass for our horses but here in N. Dordogne it is just the right balance for us and I can recommend it.

Gail