The town of Calafell, in the region of Tarragona, is the ideal sporting destination, found in a dream setting combining the charm of the Costa Dorada coastline with beautiful Mediterranean forests.
Sea and mountain: a perfect combination allowing you to make the most of every inch of Calafell, whether by foot, on bike or on the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
The 81 kilometres comprising the Costa Dorada coastline offer a vast range of landscapes and tourist attractions. Breath-taking beaches, delicious local cuisine, an endless range of nightlife options, intriguing cultural heritage and natural enclaves that you can only dream of. This privileged location is the ideal setting for an endless selection of sporting activities, where the town of Calafell – in the region of Tarragona – stands out for the perfect combination of the above, making it the perfect ‘sports tourism’ destination: a type of tourism that is gaining increasing popularity.
In summer, different institutions in Calafell organise open football, basketball, beach volleyball and hockey competitions, among others, conceived to meet the demands of lovers of these sports. During the rest of the year, popular sporting activities are organised for participants of all ages within a social and festive atmosphere.
As a destination with the Turismo Familiar (Family Tourism) seal, Calafell also adapts many activities to be performed jointly by parents and children alike, such as walking and MTB (mountain bike) trails, golf and sailing. These are aimed at families or sports clubs, offering practical classes for young participants learning the ropes in a new activity.
Grab your poles and take part in the organised ‘Nordic Walking’ trips
In Calafell, various night-time, day-time and child-friendly walks are organised along the beach. The sport has already become part of the fabric of this town, which was the first in all of Spain to import Nordic walking as a form of non-competitive sport: a discipline that was originally employed in army boot camps. Calafell organises free Nordic walking outings, overseen by qualified monitors who provide poles to those who sign up in advance, introducing them to the practice and technique of this sport.
An unsinkable exhibition lifeboat and ‘llagut’ paddling
For lovers of more traditional sports, Calafell offers a pleasantly surprising series of original proposals. Two such examples are an outing in the popular town lifeboat and rowing in the Calafell ‘llaguts’ (a type of skiff). Measuring 10.15 metres in length, 2.5 metres wide and 1 metre in depth, with 5 oars on each side, the Calafell Lifeboat is a real must-see. It’s an unsinkable lifeboat which was restored for sailing in 1989, with a unique characteristic that almost certainly makes it a one-of-a-kind: namely, that every time the boat tips over it returns to its original position.
The boat was constructed in the Corbeto shipyard in Barcelona, taking the same shape as most boats that were built during this period. However, no other boat was as perfectly balanced in terms of structure. The boat is so perfectly and harmoniously constructed that, even on the calmest waters, it can be deliberately tipped over before returning, moments later, to its original position – with the crew still on board. Outings will be made on 29/06, 16/07, 15/08 and 11/09.
The llaguts and vogadors of Calafell are two groups that promote fixed-seat rowing in the Catalan “llagut” skiff. The llagut is a traditional boat that was previously used for fishing or the transportation of goods. When the weather conditions turned sour, the fishermen aboard the llaguts grabbed their oars and raced each other back to the port. This marked the beginnings of a type of rivalry, which culminated in regattas that eventually became the highlight of popular local festivities.
Calafell has two Catalan llagut skiffs named Magí and Samulero, both measuring 7.5 metres long and 2.5 metres wide. These boats are used for sport, thus recovering the former local tradition.
MTB routes
The Calafell Tourism Board has marked out six MTB routes, each starting and ending in the town itself. There are three ‘easy’, child-friendly routes that are no greater than 12 kilometres in length. The routes are conceived for cyclists to pass through more peaceful areas away from the town centre – encouraging them to learn about the town’s historic values – such as the Montpaó ruins. The three other routes are more technically challenging, ranging from 23 to 40 kilometres long. These longer routes pass through other key locations in the district, such as the Foix Natural Park and the town of Sant Vicenç de Calders.
Try your hand at an exciting sport on the waters of the Mediterranean
The Calafell Sailing School was opened in 2012, aiming to meet the town’s active tourism requirements. It helps to organise a broad selection of activities, ranging from more professional outings (such as those undertaken by regatta teams) to more entertaining options, such as jet ski or banana boat rentals. In fact, Olympic medallist and 12-time world sailing champion Mitch Booth has trained several times in the School’s facilities in Calafell. The Sailing School also offers professional training, putting on courses and giving classes to adults and children over the age of six. The Calafell Sailing School also rents material and prepares activities for work team building activities.
‘Petanca’
This is one of the town’s most popular sports (the Calafell Petanca Club has over 200 active members), attracting huge numbers of participants for tournaments and competitions. In fact, one of Calafell’s sports stars is local icon Charo Inés Lizón – an elite performer with a magnificent track record in this discipline, having won over 40 Spanish ‘petanca’ (similar to the French game of pétanque) championships, as well as previously being crowned European and World champion. She also used to manage the Spanish national petanca team. Lizón has also been declared as a ‘High Level’ athlete by the Spanish National Sports Council.
