PLANNING

By commercial flight — Geneva or Lyon are easier to reach by car than Paris CDG. By car — roughly 2 hours from Lyon, 2.5 from Geneva, 4–5 from Paris. By train — TGV to Le Creusot–Montceau–Montchanin, then a car or taxi (around 40 minutes) to the château. By private plane — St Yan airport (40 min by car) takes jets; Aérodrome d'Autun (20 min) has a 500m strip. By helicopter — GPS: 46°51'59.95″N, 4°03'14.14″E.

Entering France with a gun requires: a letter of invitation from us, a temporary French licence, civil liability insurance, your home hunting licence, and proof of the gun's registration. We arrange the letter, licence and insurance on request — just email ahead of your visit.The exact registration proof varies by country (a Form 4457 for US citizens, a shotgun certificate for UK citizens, a European Firearms Certificate for EU citizens) — let us know where you're travelling from and we'll confirm exactly what's needed.Guns must be carried unloaded, cased, and separate from ammunition at all times — including on trains, where French law requires the same, alongside your hunting licence.We're glad to guide you through this, but responsibility for the correct documents rests with each guest (or their agent); our responsibility covers the legal and safe running of the shoot itself during your stay.

Biodegradable wads and cartridges are compulsory here. Because most drives sit within 100m of water — where French law prohibits lead shot — we shoot steel, sweet copper or bismuth. Field-tested and performs comparably to lead at the heights our drives call for. We keep our own stock of 12- and 20-bore steel and sweet copper if you'd rather not travel with your own.

Driven shooting here calls for proper turnout — earthy tones, not camouflage, and smart enough to be a nod of respect to both host and quarry. On the smartest days, that means a three-piece suit or shirt and tie with tweed breeks; on quieter days, moleskin or cotton breeks and a good jumper. Non-shooting guests are expected to turn out just as neatly.We stock ear defenders, cartridge bags and gun sleeves if you'd rather not travel with your own, and offer gun hire on request. Härkila, our clothing partner, will ship kit directly to the château with a 20% discount for our guests — useful if you'd rather not pack shooting clothes at all.The option to order gear online (and have the gear sent to the Château) from a very good and recommendable brand - HÄRKILA - is available !

We certainly recommend having a loader. It allows you to concentrate entirely on the birds while your loader takes care of your gun, cartridges and all the small details during the drives. It also adds considerably to the safety, comfort and enjoyment of the day.If achieving the intended bag is important, a good loader can make a real difference. By keeping you supplied with cartridges and ensuring that your gun is always ready, there is less interruption during busy moments and fewer shooting opportunities are missed.For those shooting with a pair of guns, an experienced loader is particularly valuable, allowing for quick and seamless gun changes and helping you make the most of each drive.

Drives are walked, not driven — an easy 6–10km a day. Vehicles and loaders are both available for anyone who'd prefer not to walk; just let us know in advance.

We don't accommodate guests' own dogs on the estate, in the château, or in the cottages.

A brief summary — full terms on request. Reservation deposits are non-refundable; cancelling within nine weeks of arrival means the full balance is due. We recommend guests take out their own cancellation insurance, since weather and travel disruption sit outside our control.

Full detail is on The Chateau page — 8 rooms in the house itself, plus a private cottage, with exclusive use..

For Burgundy's wine routes, villages and history, see Activities — we point guests toward what's genuinely worth the time rather than trying to cover it all here.

Most of this is easier over the phone + 33 6 70 22 56 85 or email cstork@wanadoo.fr