Locality

Sous Moncelot is on the edge of peaceful Stigny village looking “outwards” across arable fields, over the gently undulating, wooded slopes of the Burgundian countryside. The field crops are regularly rotated, so the vista across the fields from the house can change dramatically from year to year, and even from season to season!

The village has hardly changed since medieval times in its size and its setting in the landscape, and still has several buildings dating from the 16th century, including our own round tower, which it is thought was used as a secure guardhouse for the village in those turbulent times, when war and upheaval were never far away. Later, in comparatively more peaceful times, it became part of a prosperous agricultural farmstead, like most of the surrounding dwellings.

There is little nowadays to shatter the tranquillity of the village (except the church bell, which strikes each hour twice!), but that’s how our guests like it! There is no shop or bar. A bread van visits almost every day (but not till about 11am.). – it stops at the end of the lane and “toots” its horn - but there are good food shops, small supermarkets and weekly markets at nearby Ancy-le-Franc (3 kilometres) and Ravières (5 kilometres), and a larger “Auchan” supermarket at Tonnerre (20 kilometres). A car on the nearby country roads is almost a newsworthy event, so there are no traffic worries to dissuade you from “popping down to the shops”.

The village is an ideal base for visiting the many interesting historical and cultural sites of Burgundy, many of which remain relatively unknown to the tourists who crowd out Brittany or the Dordogne. But remember, Burgundy is a vast area made up of four départements, and it’s impossible to explore the whole region in one holiday, or even several.

The village is surrounded by delightful walks in all directions, accessible direct from the house, partly across rolling countryside and partly through woods (some with deer and wild boar); we can let you have walking maps and guides – let us know in advance. Just 3km away is the sleepy Canal de Bourgogne, with its occasional tourist leisure craft, which winds through picturesque landscape for many miles in both directions, and many of its towpaths have been recently renovated or smartened up for trouble-free walking or cycling - on the flat! The nearest village on the canal is Chassignelles (3km), with an interesting 13th century church, visible from your bedroom window!

Ancy has a stunning 16th century chateau in the Italian renaissance style, as has nearby Tanlay (about 18km), with a smaller less grand one at Nuits-sur-Armancon. There are many more, further afield in Burgundy. You are well placed for exploring on largely traffic-free roads the world famous wine centres of Chablis (30km), Cote d'Or, Beaune and many others, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vezelay, the Abbey at Fontenay, the delightful medieval town of Noyers, and the cities of Dijon, Auxerre and Troyes.