Boule de sable Cercle Notre-Dame d'Anjou

Discover the Loire game of sandball, played on the banks of the Loire between Nantes and Angers.

In the courtyard of the abbey church at Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, members of the cercle Notre-Dame-d'Anjou, the "boulistes", play a game of boule de sable, a local game played along the royal river between Ancenis and Rochefort-sur-Loire.

The game originated with the Loire bargemen, who played it on the sandbanks when there was no wind.
Each player has just one (heavy) wooden ball and must throw it into a sandbox so that it is as close as possible to the master.
Each field consists of two sandboxes facing each other.

"Going up the master's arse", "following the Chalée"... the game of sandball has produced its own expressions.

You can come and watch and learn more about this activity all year round, every Wednesday afternoon from 2pm to 7pm, at Saint-Florent-le-Vieil.

Summer opening times: Sundays 10am-1pm / 4pm-7pm
Winter opening times: Sunday 10am-1pm