Petanque and boules in Spain a great family activity on a sunny day. I have my favourite spots and places in and around Ciudad Quesada. One such place is the local Spanish boule club in Rojales.
I do not play boule myself but I really like this place. I love the atmosphere, the mix of locals and non Spanish, senior citizens and youngsters, together throwing a ball on a court. There are 3 or 4 courts at the “Club Petanca Municipal de Rojales”. Perfect outdoor family activity a sunny but not too hot day.
Petanque and boules in Spain, Club Petanca Municipal de Rojales
There is a bar with a spacious terrace in the compound. There are several Spanish tapas to choose from and you pre-book a lunch. Nevertheless, I think they only serve groups.
A sport setting where you can eat local food, enjoy a cool beer outdoor is common in Spain and other European countries but is rare in Sweden. This is why I enjoy the combination of exercise and enjoying cold Clara (Shandy).
If you like a brisk hike you can walk to the boule club. It is quite hilly and you can walk through the hilly area leading up to the Rojales villages or hike down to the golf club first
It is in the municipal sport compound with soccer pitches a municipal pool.
The club is a popular place among local Petanque clubs meeting up for local and regional tournaments. On a few occasions, when the courts have been empty, we asked the club to lend us some boule balls and played ourselves. It is a great way to meet up with locals.
I talked to the nice lady who runs the bar with her family. She said that Wednesday and week-ends it is very busy but the rest of the time there is a great chance that you might get a free court. It is for free. Nevertheless, you cannot bring your own food and drinks. The bar serves very nice tapas and it is not expensive.
” if you want to play boule and have a pick-nick there are other places in Rojales”, the owner of the bar tells me.
The bar owner is right. I spent some time to explore other boule courts in Rojales, Benijófar and around Ciudad Quesada. Boule, bocce and pétanque are a very popular sport in Spain. As a friend of mine said “you can find granmas and grandpas playing all over. Sometimes on a court and sometimes on a lawn”. This is why, around and about the Ciudad Quesada residential area there are several smaller boule courts that you can enjoy. It is definitely a sport that is becoming more popular.
Boule and Bocce ball sports
For us that are not familiar with the boule sports I did a small investigation into the difference between bocce and pétanque. Both fall into the category of “boule” sports. Boule is a French word that means “balls” and is a collective name for a wide range of ball games, including pétanque and bocce ball. For more on similarities and difference please see our nature travel tips site for Sweden.