Regional Sporting Activities
There is no shortage of sporting activities to keep you entertained in the region, it just depends on your preference. The following list highlights some of the many activities, most are located within a 15 minute radius of La Maison des Amis:
Canoeing and Kayaking
La Maison des Amis is located between the Tarn and the Agout rivers. The Garonne is also nearby, not to mention the myriad of lakes and smaller rivers.
As with all activities that require good information on the local geography, we strongly recommend availing of the wonderful 'Blue Series' of maps from the Institut Géographique National. They can be obtained over the web or simply buy them from the local newsagent when you arrive (almost all local newsagents carry these maps).
Cycling and Mountain Biking
I find the way the locals drive to be just that bit too intimidating for cycling. However, it does not seem to deter the die-hards. The local forest of Giroussens on the other hand is an ideal place for mountain biking. Stanfords as always is a good source of information on cycling in France, both for books and maps.
As with all activities that require good information on the local geography, we strongly recommend availing of the wonderful 'Blue Series' of maps from the Institut Géographique National. They can be obtained over the web or simply buy them from the local newsagent when you arrive.
Fishing
There is not a lot we can say about fishing except there is no shortage of rivers and lakes in the area. Our best advice is to try Stanford's Fishing Map of France.
Flying
Where to start, ultralights, microlights, trike wings, paragliders, hanggliders, gliders... Whatever happened to plain old planes. Everywhere you go around here, there is someone on some weird airborne contraption.
Closest to La Maison des Amis is a little grass strip for small planes and a horde of Trike Wings. They advertise flying lessons, so bon chance!
Nearby Grauhlet has a big airstrip where you can fly or glide. Gliders are towed or catapulted. The latter has to be seen to be believed!
There are a number of paragliding and hangliding sites in the region, see para2000 for details.
Football
Footy plays second-fiddle to rugby in this part of the world in a big way. However, we still have a Ligue 1 club in Toulouse. It has been a long time since they won anything, 1957 in fact when they won the French Cup, but the likes of Bordeaux (local derby), PSG, Monaco and Marseille all have to make at least one visit a year. Worth a look for footy fans and beats going to see Leeds Utd on a cold winters night! Sorry, haven't been a fan of Leeds since Allan Clarke scored the winner in the '72 cup final!
Golf
Golfers are surprisingly well served in the area. All the courses listed below are within 45 minutes, with most under 30 minutes. For pricing and details of each course go to the French Golfing Federations site or contact the clubs themselves directly.
GOLF ALBI LASBORDES
Château de Lasbordes - 81000 ALBI
Tél. : 05 63 54 98 07 Fax. : 05 63 54 98 06
GOLF DE CASTRES-GOURJADE
Domaine de Gourjade - 81100 CASTRES
Tél. : 05 63 72 27 06 Fax. : 05 63 59 04 68
GOLF DE FLORENTIN-GAILLAC
Al Bosc - 81150 MARSSAC SUR TARN
Tél. : 05 63 55 20 50 Fax. : 05 63 53 26 41
GOLF DE FIAC
Brazis - 81500 FIAC
Tél. : 05 63 70 64 70 Fax. : 05 63 75 32 91
GOLF DE TOULOUSE LA RAMEE
Ferme du Cousturier - 31170 TOURNEFEUILLE
Tel. : 05 61 07 09 09 Fax. : 05 61 07 15 93
GOLF ESTOLOSA
Borde-Haute - 31280 DREMIL LAFAGE
Tel. : 05 62 18 84 00 Fax. : 05 62 18 84 09
GOLF DE TOULOUSE
31320 VIEILLE TOULOUSE
Tel. : 05 61 73 45 48 Fax. : 05 62 19 04 67
GOLF DE PALMOLA
Route d'Albi - 31660 BUZET-SUR-TARN
Tel. : 05 61 84 20 50 Fax. : 05 61 84 48 92
Horse Riding
There is an equestrian centre at the bottom of the road and there seems to be more than a few to choose from in the vicinity.
Paintball
Never really saw the fun in it myself but if its your thing, it is only around the corner, 5 minutes from La Maison des Amis. There are a number of clubs that use the facility regularly and take their paintball very seriously!
Rugby
La Maison des Amis is right in the heart of rugby country, and at about 30 minutes is situated almost equidistant from Toulouse and Castres. Why not check out a game when you visit. Glasgow, Llanlei and Northampton are all scheduled to visit Toulouse in the first round of the Heineken Cup this year, while Munster, Harlequins and Neath/Swansea will visit Castres. See you at the Munster game!
Sauna and Massage
Holidays are for winding down, and there's not many better ways than a relaxing sauna and massage. Caliceo is only 20 minutes down the A68 just before you get to Toulouse.
Tennis
La Maison des Amis has its own tennis court. Although perfectly playable, it has a concrete surface which has aged a little over the years. Mind you, it still gets good use. But if you are a serious tennis player we would recommend you avail of one of numerous local public tennis courts. There are at least 3 sets of local courts within 15 minutes of La Maison des Amis. The local village court is perfect and is little used.
Walking and Hiking
At La Maison des Amis we have a very detailed local guide to walking in the region. The guide outlines distances, grades the walks/hikes and provides good descriptions. From old Roman roads to rivers and forests. The guide is locally produced so hopefully your French is up to scratch, if not we can help out. You can also check out Stanford's Walking in France guide.
As with all activities that require good information on the local geography, we strongly recommend availing of the wonderful 'Blue Series' of maps from the Institut Géographique National. They can be obtained over the web or simply buy them from the local newsagent when you arrive.
