Basque games
The Basque is basically a sportsman from his youngest age! As they say, it's in their DNA. This anchoring is undoubtedly associated with its living environment which remains a huge playground on the four cardinal points of the territory, between Soule, Basse-Navarre and Labourd. The fact is that here, we are spoilt for choice. We are making a "Prevert" inventory, a less heterogeneous enumeration, because all these activities have a link, that of the pleasure and the passion for the sport and the solos or collective leisure. They are part of the heritage, the village festivals are the best proof. Pelota is one of the jewels in the crown, a game that has been exported all over the world, because the Basque has always been a great traveler. It is common to see pelota courts in Mexico, California, Cuba or Argentina and in many other countries! A popular sport par excellence, originating from the ancient game of paume, it is played in all the villages of the Basque Country and in many schools from a very young age. It is played either in the open air on a striking wall, or on the fronton and a wall on the left, or also with a back wall. The jai-alai is an elongated left wall where the cesta punta is played. And finally the trinquet, in a totally closed room, is composed of 4 walls. Indirect games are played with bare hands, such as chistera, pala leather or gum. Another spectacular sport is the Basque force, which originated with the farmers who used to challenge each other. Its derived disciplines are tug-of-war, sawyers, lumberjacks or stone lifters. The drag races, another spectacular Basque specialty, are unique fishing boats from the Basque Country where each one has several rowers and a team leader directing the boat and the speed. This race takes place at sea.
The hike
With a large network of marked trails, the Basque Country offers a large number of hikes for families, friends, beginners or real sportsmen, which allow you to explore and discover exceptional panoramas. Hikes, scooter rides, quad biking, mountain biking, horseback riding. Let's mention some of these hikes. The coastal path, an essential 25 km walk - which links Hendaye (at the gateway to Spain) to Bidart, in both directions. With a panorama of the ocean, the Basque mountains and the cliffs and creeks all along the way. The ascent of the Rhune with, to simplify the ascent, the famous little train of the Rhune with cogwheel. Once at the top, after a regenerative snack, you descend on foot with horses and pottoks in total freedom, and always with an omnipresent 360° view between sea and mountain. The smugglers' paths... from the Ibardin pass to the Xoldokogaina lake, represent a real breath of oxygen without moderation. A great view of the village of Urrugne, the Landes coast and the Rhune mountains. On the steps of Roland in Itxassou, a pretty walk awaits you, softer and lulled by the song of the rivers. Between hiking and canyoning, the descent of the gorges of Kakuetta is more tonic and mineral, without great difficulty, and counts eight possible circuits of several levels, from the least to the most sportive. Many other ideas of excursions are proposed with the typical village of Aïnhoa and its chapel, the many paths which leave Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port towards the Basque mountains and where you will meet the inescapable pilgrims of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, or with the Mondarrain with an original descent in mountain bike or in scooter In another register, it is the visits of the coastal cities from Anglet to Hendaye and the treasures of the heritage of Bayonne, the capital, which attract the attention! Two thousand years of history with its narrow streets and passageways, its ramparts, its "thirsty" street and the perpetual festive spirit that animates the 365 days of the year.
Popular sports
Some sports activities are real institutions in the Basque Country. Among them, we find rugby - or the religion of ovalie! -with its two professional and emblematic clubs, the BO (Biarritz Olympique) in PRO D2 and the AB (Aviron Bayonnais) promoted to the TOP 14 in 2022, with glorious records. These two brothers, enemies (since always) but with fair play, are only five kilometers apart and do not think of merging for a single moment. There are also a large number of clubs, including Bidart, Hendaye, Anglet, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, without forgetting those of the villages of the interior Basque Country. Golf, since the beginning of the 20th century, is also practiced on the Basque coast by players from all over the world. With its humid and temperate climate, the Basque Country offers ideal sites with the ocean and the mountains as a panorama: the Nivelle golf courses in Ciboure, Chantaco in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Chiberta in Anglet, Arcangues, Epherra in Souraïde, Le Phare and Ilbarritz in Biarritz or the Makila golf course in Bassussarry. Such a diversity of clubs shows the success and the democratization of a sport, originally reserved for a certain elite. Surfing and its culture represent the somewhat "postcard" image of the coast, but it is above all an omnipresent activity since the arrival of the first boards under the impulse of a few pioneers in the fifties, called the "tontons surfers", who have become true legends. At the beginning, the boards were heavy and not very easy to handle, but it is thanks to the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons with their know-how and their equipment that surfing and related businesses took off. Today it is a recognized sport with its competitions. The latest one being the world surfing championships in Biarritz in 2019 on the Basque coast. It is a whole economy associated with a " surf touch ", a philosophy of life, which prevails today with its many spots, clubs and schools, from Anglet to Hendaye, and its stores, craftsmen and designers.
Other water sports
Numerous nautical activities are possible in the Basque Country, in the sea, but also in the rivers of the region. Thus, paddle, scuba diving, fishing, sailing and rafting are practiced all year round, depending on the weather, which can be capricious (euphemism) and which, in one day, with the oceanic influences, can make you experience the four seasons... The paddle, recently practiced on the coast, is between surfing and walking, in the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz or, in a more sportive way, on the waves all along the coast. Scuba diving under the oceanic waters is for all levels. Many clubs exist in Ciboure, Hendaye, Biarritz with the necessary equipment and supervision. With a dense and varied hydrographic network, the Basque Country offers fishing enthusiasts a wide range of sectors to explore: torrents, rivers, mountain lakes or developed water bodies. These playgrounds are home to a great wealth of fish species, thanks to the presence of emblematic species such as salmon, trout and carp, among others. Sea fishing, known as coastal or sport fishing, is aimed at both amateurs and experienced enthusiasts. There are hundreds of fishing spots. You can find the usual dorados, tuna, sea bass and rays... a real pleasure for those who know how to be patient and who are not seasick! Boats take you from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye and Anglet. Sailing is also one of the many nautical activities on the coast. From the marina in Hendaye, the Brise Lames port in Anglet or the Socoa port in Ciboure, you can sail in the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, but also along the Spanish coast. With the sailing schools and nautical centers, you will become an outstanding sailor! At the rhythm of your paddle, explore the coastline as well as the rivers and streams of the region. Solo, with family or friends, these sports activities are not lacking as on the side of Bidarray in the white water of the Nive and its rafting clubs, in canoe, in sea kayak or in Hawaiian pirogue on the ocean. Hunting, like fishing, is part of the multi-centenary traditions of the Basque Country. It is a way of life in its own right where the mythical blue bird is venerated, as well as the pigeon and many other migratory birds. Every autumn, time stands still during the peak migration and the passage of thousands of birds. In pigeon-holes (on the ground or perched in the trees), with a net, in the air, on the lookout or in a fixed position, the hunt requires a meticulous preparation. Cooked in salmis, just roasted with some ceps, it is for the real gourmets, a unique moment.
If golf and surfing are an obvious choice, skating can also be found in the Basque Country, with the complex of La Barre in Anglet, which is the only skating rink within a radius of 200 km to offer ice sports all year round, thanks to the skating clubs, including the famous professional club Hormadi, an elite club evolving in the Magnus league (1st level or national league 1).
And also..
The list of sports and leisure activities would be incomplete if we did not also mention the tennis clubs and a thought for the musketeers Borotra, Lacoste who won the Davis Cup in 1927 from the invincible Americans. Speleology with its numerous caves and cavities, the bicycle paths that criss-cross the Basque Country on both the land and the sea, the numerous equestrian centers, the paramotor clubs that give an aerial vision and interpretation of the history of the territory, thermalism, a real rejuvenation cure with its specialized establishments, between Hendaye, Biarritz and Cambo-les-Bains, renowned for its thermo-mineral water basins.
