Out & About

Banks

There are two banks in the main street at Ancy-le Franc (3 kms) with 24-hour external cash machines (ATMs).

Shopping

Freddo’s bread van calls in the village every day, but not in time for breakfast croissants. He comes at about 11am, stopping and “tooting” for customers at several street corners, including the corner of our Rue du Matréau, a walk of about 50 yards! He offers a selection of bread, croissants and cake, but be ready to trot out your best conversational French, and chat like a native about all the topical issues of the day!

The nearest food shops are in Ancy-le-Franc (3km); the two small supermarkets, “Proximarché” (in the main street) and “U-Express” (take the road opposite the main drive of the Chateau, alongside the landscaped pond, and turn first left), are great for most everyday food and household needs, (including decent no-nonsense wine!), and there are good small family butchers and bakers in the main street. Nearby Ravières (4km) also has good family food shops in the village street. For more serious supermarket shopping, go to “Auchan” in Tonnerre (about 20 km of almost traffic-free driving). As you approach the edge of the town, at the second roundabout - where by-pass routes go off to left and right - go straight on towards the town centre, and “Auchan” is the very first turn off to the right. There is also a good all-purpose DIY hardware store, “Weldom”, on the same site.

As well as the food shops previously mentioned, Tonnerre has a variety of high street shops, but for smarter shops and gifts, a trip to Auxerre or Troyes or, further afield Dijon, makes a pleasant day out.

BEWARE! – all shops (except Auchan) close for a civilized long lunch-break between 12pm and 2.30pm! Life as we know it is held in suspended animation for this blessed period of the day! Many shops and banks are closed all day on Mondays.

Places to eat

There are several good restaurants within an easy drive from Stigny, some modest but with great local cooking and very fair prices, others more refined, through the whole range right up to Michelin-starred. We will happily give you details and directions when you arrive.

French language

The advantage of coming to this part of France is that you will bump into relatively few foreign tourists. The “drawback” is that the people here are unlikely to speak your language. A few words of French will help enormously.

Be aware that in small shops everyone on entering and leaving exchanges a “bonjour” and “au revoir” with all other customers and the shopkeeper, and it is polite to respond in like fashion.

Market days

The weekly morning markets held in the local towns are worth a visit. The nearest are:

Chablis - Sunday

Ravieres - Tuesday

Ancy – Thursday.

Tonnerre – Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Note that on market days parking is usually more difficult, but in Ancy, you have the luxury of parking in the main drive of the Chateau, normally frowned on except for Chateau events.

Wine

U-Express supermarket in Ancy has a good selection of cheap local wines, red and white, plus standard labels, whilst Auchan in Tonnerre has a wider selection of the same, plus labels from all over France, including Chablis. You may of course wish to make a more serious study of the world-famous Chablis variety, made exclusively from the Chardonnay grape, by visiting the town itself, only about 40 kms distant, and tasting the wines at the gate of the producers themselves. For a broader experience, though, visit the Co-operative, known as La Chablisienne, on the edge of Chablis town, where all the local Chablis vintages can be tasted in unstuffy surroundings, prior to possibly buying the odd 6-bottle box to take away as a memento of your visit!

Burgundy is of course famous throughout the world for its wine, its reputation having been built on its reds, from the nearby Cote d’Or, the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune and elsewhere, though many of its most famous labels are white wines. We would recommend that, however knowledgeable you are on wine, you come to Burgundy with an open mind, and try all types and varieties, including names with which you may not be familiar. The whole spectrum, from the humblest supermarket wine at amazingly low prices (2 or 3 Euros), to the most prestigious chateau label, is available to you within our immediate locality, and will keep you pleasantly intrigued, stimulated, amused and entertained throughout your visit!

Doctors and Dentists

If you have medical or dental problems during your stay, European guests, with a European Health Medical Card, can claim back the cost of treatment, but this is not always easy; - unless the treatment is going to be costly, it is much simpler to see the doctor as a private paying patient.

Tonnerre Hospital (about 30 minutes drive) has an excellent 24-hour casualty department – go towards the town centre (past Auchan supermarket- see 'Food' section above for directions) , and about 1km past Auchan, you come to a STOP sign giving priority to traffic using the entrance road to the Hospital. Turn right here into the Hospital grounds.

Pharmacies

There is a pharmacy on the main street in Ancy (3kms).

Emergencies

In emergencies dial 17 for the police (police), 18 for the fire brigade (pompiers), or 15 for an ambulance (urgence medicale), or from a mobile 'phone, the Pan-European number 112. These numbers should clearly only be used in a real emergency.

Transport -

Guests should be aware that a car is pretty well essential in Stigny, even though the nearest small town of Ancy is only 3km away.

Cars

Remember that French law requires you to carry your driving licence, insurance and car registration documents when you are driving – spot checks are common. You should have two red warning triangles, to set on the road in the event of breakdown. Check also, if you normally drive on the left, whether your car needs anti-dazzle headlight deflectors when driving on the right.

Be aware that some road junctions in country areas have no white lines, so you will have to give way to traffic coming from your right - "priorité a droite"

Fuel

Petrol (essence) and diesel (gazole) are freely available. The nearest pumps are at the U-Express supermarket in Ancy (See the Shopping section above), or at the small family garage on Ancy main street. Otherwise, the big supermarkets, such as Auchan in Tonnerre, as well as the occasional petrol station on the open road, provide the normal familiar service. BUT- remember these are not as common in rural, as opposed to urban, areas, AND most small garages have a lunch hour and are closed on Sundays! At the big stations, be aware that some of the pumps accept payment by credit card only.

Railways See the Getting here section of our Website. You may fancy a day-trip to Paris or Dijon from nearby Montbard station (35 minutes drive).