Here are the available villas for rental in Burgundy.

So much to do, so fast

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Tom Cruise and I are so similar that we worship the same God or anything, but with the release of his latest action-packed blockbuster, Mission Impossible 3 I do feel like we've got something in common.

You see, I spent the other weekend in France's gastronomic region of where an action-packed agenda saw us playing golf, cycling, horse-riding, hot-air ballooning, rock climbing and Segway riding - all in 48 hours.
Like Tom, we'd be performing all our own stunts (okay, activities) although our rewards would be more epicurean than financial, with the opportunity to savour some of Burgundy's gastronomic delights at every meal time.
We got the star treatment on the journey to Burgundy's ancient capital Dijon in Eurostar's plush first class carriage journey from Waterloo on Eurostar and after a brief tour around the city streets (we got a bit lost) we arrived at our 17th century hotel and tucked into a tasty gourmet meal at its picturesque restaurant, Les Oenophiles.
If you find yourself in Dijon, this place is well worth visiting. Chilled gazpacho jelly amuse bouche was followed by a delicious salad, trio of perfectly cooked meats and a selection of minute puddings. On the way out we spotted the cheese board oozing deliciously. But fitting in another course would definitely have been Mission Impossible.
Bright and early the next day we took a speedy tour around Dijon's historic streets on a Segway. Although the tourist office has been running the trips for over four years, we got more curious stares than an A-list celeb on a red carpet. Perfectly coiffured French women yanked their quiffed poodles edgily out of the way, and old people clutched each other in horror as we whizzed past.
Dijon was home to the rich and powerful Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th century to the late 1400s and the city's centre is a beautifully preserved mix of gothic churches, half-timbered medieval buildings and leafy squares.
The Segways glided easily over the ancient cobbles and thanks to their big wheels, we were easily able to rub the town's lucky charm, an owl carved onto the side of the impressive 13th century Notre Dame church. The owl is polished smooth where eight centuries of townspeople and visitors have made their wishes.
After lunch we drove across the picturesque Cote D'Or countryside that surrounds Dijon to the tiny village of Pouilly en Auxois to experience La Voute. This 3,333m-long tunnel was carved through the hills in the 19th century to connect the rivers Seine and Saone with the Atlantic and English Channel.
At this time, canals were the quickest way to transport goods and the whole region is criss-crossed with the now tranquil, tree-lined water paths. The 1,200-odd kilometres of canal paths are surrounded by peaceful countryside, tiny stone villages and the vine-covered hillsides for which Burgundy is justifiably famous.
As we travelled through the eerie, black tunnel that took 4,000 men seven years to build and which at the middle offered barely a pin-prick of light at either end to light our way, it was hard to imagine a better setting for a spine-chilling horror film. Nearly 200 men lost their lives during the mammoth project and at night their souls are said to haunt the tunnel. But it was so dark in there, how did they know when it was day and night?
The walls dripped with tiny stalactites and slimy mould and the occasional bat (or was it a ghost?) flapped past our specially adapted solar-powered boat. I presumed we'd stored enough solar power before we entered the tunnel to get us through... It seemed a bit pathetic to state the obvious half-way through. Gulp.
Clearly I'm more an action film fan than a horror fan and it was a great relief to emerge into bright sunshine once again.
Our next stop was a restored medieval fortress, Chateau de Chailly where we had a golf lesson to attend. First we had a whizz round the 18-hole course in a couple of golf buggies before getting a few swings on a club with the club pro.
Okay, so far most of our activities had been fairly sedentary, but the following day things hotted up. We drove down to Cravant to pick up our mountain bikes and then it was back to the canal again, this time cycling alongside it, rather than gliding along.
The weather was ideal, sunny with a slight breeze and we powered along Canal du Nivernais spotting heron and the odd falcon hovering for prey. The canal path joined the mighty Yonne River which, along with the Saone and the Seine form three of the biggest rivers in Northern France.
The surrounding hills offer some the best wine growing conditions in , hence the appellation "Cote d'Or" or golden hills. Names like Nuits St Georges, Chablis and Puligny Montrachet which are normally just labels on a bottle of wine, are pretty hamlets surrounded by acres of vines.
At this time of year the vines are severely pruned but in a few months time the whole area will be green with bushy vine leaves and plump, juicy grapes ready to produce some memorable Burgundy vintages.
Which is exactly what we were rewarded with after our bike ride. Stopping in Accolay's Hostellerie de la Fontaine we lunched in a converted wine cellar, sampling a hearty selection of local delicacies. Burgundy snails cooked in Dijon mustard and locally caught river fish were washed down with red wine from next door Irancy and this time the cheese trolley was ours to sample.
Of course, there's nothing like a hefty five-course meal with wine to set you up for an afternoon in the saddle. It had been eight years since I'd dared get on a horse, the last one having bucked, bolted and scraped under a huge tree branch in a failed attempt to get me off its back. So while getting drunk may not be the way Tom Cruise prepares for a dangerous stunt scene, it was exactly what I needed to give me the Dutch courage necessary to mount my steed. ... more

So much to do, so fast

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Tom Cruise and I are so similar that we worship the same God or anything, but with the release of his latest action-packed blockbuster, Mission Impossible 3 I do feel like we've got something in common.

You see, I spent the other weekend in France's gastronomic region of where an action-packed agenda saw us playing golf, cycling, horse-riding, hot-air ballooning, rock climbing and Segway riding - all in 48 hours.
Like Tom, we'd be performing all our own stunts (okay, activities) although our rewards would be more epicurean than financial, with the opportunity to savour some of Burgundy's gastronomic delights at every meal time.
We got the star treatment on the journey to Burgundy's ancient capital Dijon in Eurostar's plush first class carriage journey from Waterloo on Eurostar and after a brief tour around the city streets (we got a bit lost) we arrived at our 17th century hotel and tucked into a tasty gourmet meal at its picturesque restaurant, Les Oenophiles.
If you find yourself in Dijon, this place is well worth visiting. Chilled gazpacho jelly amuse bouche was followed by a delicious salad, trio of perfectly cooked meats and a selection of minute puddings. On the way out we spotted the cheese board oozing deliciously. But fitting in another course would definitely have been Mission Impossible.
Bright and early the next day we took a speedy tour around Dijon's historic streets on a Segway. Although the tourist office has been running the trips for over four years, we got more curious stares than an A-list celeb on a red carpet. Perfectly coiffured French women yanked their quiffed poodles edgily out of the way, and old people clutched each other in horror as we whizzed past.
Dijon was home to the rich and powerful Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th century to the late 1400s and the city's centre is a beautifully preserved mix of gothic churches, half-timbered medieval buildings and leafy squares.
The Segways glided easily over the ancient cobbles and thanks to their big wheels, we were easily able to rub the town's lucky charm, an owl carved onto the side of the impressive 13th century Notre Dame church. The owl is polished smooth where eight centuries of townspeople and visitors have made their wishes.
After lunch we drove across the picturesque Cote D'Or countryside that surrounds Dijon to the tiny village of Pouilly en Auxois to experience La Voute. This 3,333m-long tunnel was carved through the hills in the 19th century to connect the rivers Seine and Saone with the Atlantic and English Channel.
At this time, canals were the quickest way to transport goods and the whole region is criss-crossed with the now tranquil, tree-lined water paths. The 1,200-odd kilometres of canal paths are surrounded by peaceful countryside, tiny stone villages and the vine-covered hillsides for which Burgundy is justifiably famous.
As we travelled through the eerie, black tunnel that took 4,000 men seven years to build and which at the middle offered barely a pin-prick of light at either end to light our way, it was hard to imagine a better setting for a spine-chilling horror film. Nearly 200 men lost their lives during the mammoth project and at night their souls are said to haunt the tunnel. But it was so dark in there, how did they know when it was day and night?
The walls dripped with tiny stalactites and slimy mould and the occasional bat (or was it a ghost?) flapped past our specially adapted solar-powered boat. I presumed we'd stored enough solar power before we entered the tunnel to get us through... It seemed a bit pathetic to state the obvious half-way through. Gulp.
Clearly I'm more an action film fan than a horror fan and it was a great relief to emerge into bright sunshine once again.
Our next stop was a restored medieval fortress, Chateau de Chailly where we had a golf lesson to attend. First we had a whizz round the 18-hole course in a couple of golf buggies before getting a few swings on a club with the club pro.
Okay, so far most of our activities had been fairly sedentary, but the following day things hotted up. We drove down to Cravant to pick up our mountain bikes and then it was back to the canal again, this time cycling alongside it, rather than gliding along.
The weather was ideal, sunny with a slight breeze and we powered along Canal du Nivernais spotting heron and the odd falcon hovering for prey. The canal path joined the mighty Yonne River which, along with the Saone and the Seine form three of the biggest rivers in Northern France.
The surrounding hills offer some the best wine growing conditions in , hence the appellation "Cote d'Or" or golden hills. Names like Nuits St Georges, Chablis and Puligny Montrachet which are normally just labels on a bottle of wine, are pretty hamlets surrounded by acres of vines.
At this time of year the vines are severely pruned but in a few months time the whole area will be green with bushy vine leaves and plump, juicy grapes ready to produce some memorable Burgundy vintages.
Which is exactly what we were rewarded with after our bike ride. Stopping in Accolay's Hostellerie de la Fontaine we lunched in a converted wine cellar, sampling a hearty selection of local delicacies. Burgundy snails cooked in Dijon mustard and locally caught river fish were washed down with red wine from next door Irancy and this time the cheese trolley was ours to sample.
Of course, there's nothing like a hefty five-course meal with wine to set you up for an afternoon in the saddle. It had been eight years since I'd dared get on a horse, the last one having bucked, bolted and scraped under a huge tree branch in a failed attempt to get me off its back. So while getting drunk may not be the way Tom Cruise prepares for a dangerous stunt scene, it was exactly what I needed to give me the Dutch courage necessary to mount my steed. ... more