PÉTANQUE

Have a ball, French style, with this simple but addictive team game

Object: to stand within a circle drawn on the ground and roll or lob your ball as close as possible to the ball known as the cochonnet. The winning team is the first to reach 13 points. Each player has three balls (if one or two people per team), or two balls (three per team). The starting team draws a circle on the ground before throwing the cochonnet around six to ten metres. They then throw their first boule, aiming as close to the cochonnet as possible. The second team throw their first boule, aiming to get closer than first team (you can knock the first team’s boule aside). Teams take turns. Once all boules are thrown, the team with the nearest boule ‘has the point’. That team scores however many boules are closer to the cochonnet than the opposing team’s nearest boule. Draw a circle around the position of the cochonnet and use that as the next throwing circle. The teams continue to 13 points.

Adapted from The Wild Book: Outdoor Activities to Unleash Your Inner Child by David Scarfe (Trapeze)