Boules / Pétanque Games, Northumberland

Get involved with something a little bit different at Kielder Waterside with a game of Pétanque. A family friendly activity for anyone aged 8 and above, get the whole family involved, this game is suitable for anyone no matter your fitness level. 

First things first what is Pétanque? Pétanque is simple terms is a game of French Boules, the aim of the game is to get as many as your teams boules (a small metal ball weighing 800 grams) closest to a small wooden ball known as a jack as opposed to your opponents boules. The Pétanque court can be made of any material, but most preferred to be gravel or sand, differing in size it can either be a thin area or large flat surface. Not to worry about your Pétanque pitch at Kielder we will have this all sorted for you. 

Pétanque is a popular sport which continues to soar, originally traced back to the ancient Greeks, where they used to toss coins and then stones to a target, Pétanque emerged. 

What does the name Pétanque means, it is a derivation of the word ‘ped tanca’ which means ‘feet together on the ground”. Which relates to a rule of Pétanque, this being all players must keep both feet on the ground as they throw the boules.  

How to Play Pétanque

The game is commonly played in teams of 3, within your team there are two definitive roles, these being a pointer and a shooter. A pointer is someone who tries to get their boules as close as possible to the jack, whereas the shooter will try to remove your opponents boule. The third player can do a bit of pointing and shooting as they desire. The winner of Pétanque is determined by the team who have their boules closest to the jack, each boules is worth one point, the first team to 13 points are the champions. 

Ready to bring out your competitiveness and have an afternoon fun with the family, don’t forget to book today!