Getting There
Travel arrangements to:
Le Verger
9 & 11 Rue du Gravelain
Coutarnoux
Yonne 89440
France
Le Verger is situated in the peaceful village of Coutarnoux (population 160) in the Yonne département of Burgundy, France. The nearest small town is L'Isle sur Serein and the nearest big town is Avallon.
By train
From the UK you can take the Eurostar to Paris and then the TGV (a high speed train) from the Gare de Lyon to Montbard, the nearest mainline station, where you will be met.
Alternatively, you can book the Eurostar to Lille and then take the TGV to Montbard. This connection is not as frequent as when you change at Paris so check available trains carefully.
(From Paris Gare de Lyon you can take a local stopping train to Avallon but the journey takes two hours rather than one on the TGV).
From elsewhere, you fly to Paris and then take the TGV.
By car
Coutarnoux is five hours drive from Calais.
Follow the blue motorway signs Toutes Directions from the tunnel port (or from the ferry port). You want the A26 motorway to REIMS. To begin with this is also the motorway to Paris, but after some miles the Paris road peels off.
There is a toll to pay on this section (about 18 euros). Once you have paid the toll on the approach to Reims, you pass between two large creeper-covered stone balls and the road bears right, becoming a sharp right-handed bend and joining another motorway. Follow this straight through Reims on the motorway and you reach another motorway, the A4 towards TROYES. You need to branch off after about 15 minutes onto the A26 also towards TROYES. Once the motorway has passed Troyes, you fork right (direction PARIS A5). Leave at the first exit on this section, Exit 21 (direction TONNERRE) There is another toll to pay here (about 10 euros).
After the péage (toll), you will come to a roundabout. You are now an hour from Le Verger provided you don't get lost! Turn left at the roundabout (direction Tonnerre) and then filter down and right after a third of a mile, and turn left under the road you have just left (direction CHAOURCE D444).
You then go though lots of small places:
Le Bordes Aumont, Les Bruyeres, Chaource (visit the church if you have time; it has a wonderful 15th century mise au tombeau), Cussangy, Vallieres, Prusy, Coussegrey, and into TONNERRE. At the roundabout at the bottom of the hill just before the town centre turn left (Toutes Directions) towards AVALLON (D 965). This road skirts the town over a couple of waterways before reaching another roundabout with a cutting straight ahead, go straight on here up the cutting - the road goes steeply up with an escape road on the left. Once you have crested the hill and start to come down, look out for the sharp left turn to Avallon. Shortly the road turns right under the railway. Follow signs to Avallon through Yrouerre (wonderfully overblown Hotel de Ville on right) and on to Nitry. Go straight through Nitry and over the motorway; keep straight on until you reach Joux La Ville; here you turn left for L'Isle sur Serein. The road threads across fields and over the motorway again; then through woods for a mile or so. Once you come out of the woods the road starts downhill and you come to a crossroads on the right. Turn right here for Coutarnoux. You will see the church spire over the crest of the hill. On arrival in the village, follow the Grand Rue to the church. Opposite the church door is the courtyard of Le Verger where there is ample parking space.
