Calshot Activities Centre near Southampton

Calshot Activities Centre offers outdoor activity residential and day visits for groups.

We are located on a landform known as a Spit which protrudes out into the waters of the Solent, 30 minutes from Southampton. Our truly unique setting offers groups, of up to 180, fantastic panoramic views of the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth from our four indoor accommodation buildings.

We deliver a wide range of adventurous activities on-site as well as off-site excursions to the New Forest National Park. The hub of activity at the centre is Sunderland Hangar, one of our three converted airplane hangars. It hosts a cycling velodrome, large climbing complex, ski slope, archery ranges and an air rifle range all under one roof! We have an outdoor high ropes course, initiative course and, utilizing our great location, we offer sailing, kayaking and windsurfing.

We have a dedicated field studies department which offers Geography based topics such as river studies, coastal studies and human geography as well Biology/Ecology topics covering marine life, heathland studies, life cycles and more.

We have been delivering our outdoor educational programmes for over 50 years and know what it takes to make a good residential a GREAT residential. We focus on delivering high quality outdoor activities and our staff are trained and monitored not only on their ability to deliver safe sessions, but also on their ability to fully embed your learning objectives into every session.

School groups will be allocated a Course Director who oversees your visit to ensure everything is covered. As much as possible, we will allocate one activity instructor to stay with their activity group throughout your stay – allowing the instructor to really get to know the members in the group and provide a continuous point of contact.

We are monitored and assessed by various outdoor industry bodies to ensure we deliver safe and educational activities. These include:

• The Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge (LOTC)
• Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority (AALA)
• British Canoe (BC)
• Royal Yacht Association (RYA)
• Institute of Outdoor Learning membership (IOL)
• AdventureMark award
• NICAS climbing.

We deliver a wide range of adventurous activities on-site as well as off-site excursions to the New Forest National Park. The hub of activity at the centre is Sunderland Hangar, one of our three converted airplane hangars. It hosts a cycling velodrome, large climbing complex, ski slope, archery ranges and an air rifle range all under one roof! We have an outdoor high ropes course, initiative course and, utilizing our great location, we offer sailing, kayaking and windsurfing.

We have another indoor Hangar which contains 2 soft rubber multi-sport pitches as well as space for other activities.

We can accommodate up to 180 students across our four accommodation buildings with staggered sittings in our dining hall.

We do not take any photos for our promotional purposes. However, groups are welcome to take their own pictures and to tag us on social media @CalshotActs to share their amazing experiences!

Our risk assessing processes are rigorously checked by external providers and internally through Hampshire County Council departments. As we are an approved supplier through the Evolve system you can rest assured that our procedures and policies are thoroughly analyzed.

Taking guidance from the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel and other industry boards – we provide a risk summary instead of activity specific risk assessments.

However, if you do have any queries our bookings team will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have.

The prices vary per visit based on your requirements and the time of year that you’re looking to visit. For our school groups, we offer fully inclusive residential packages which offer 1 free staff space per 10 students, or part group of 10.

Get in touch onbookings.hoc@hants.gov.uk or 02380 884 930 to discuss your requirements and we will be happy to give you a price.

All of our instructional staff are first aid trained, as well as the duty manager that will be on-site overnight whilst you stay with us.

We have a first aid room which is stocked up with supplies and available for visiting groups to use.

We have a number of facilities/services that are additional to our accommodation, catering and activities stations. These include:

• A souvenir shop
• On-site café/bar
• Conference room facilities
• Overnight Security
• Drying rooms in some accommodation blocks

Our site is accessible with disabled facilities. We can adapt most of our activities to suit those with limited mobility and have experienced staff that are trained to delivered adaptive sessions.

Calshot Activities Centre is located on a landform known as a Spit which protrudes out into the waters of the Solent, 30 minutes from Southampton. Our truly unique setting offers groups, of up to 180, fantastic panoramic views of the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth.

We are a 15-minute drive from the New Forest National Park and the popular tourist town of Beaulieu.

The rooms mostly consist of bunkbeds and can range from 3 per room with a couple specific room being larger and holding 8-10 people.

Each of our four buildings have their own personal style and charm. Some have classrooms as part of the building, others have lounge spaces, some rooms have their own toilet/shower opposite the door.

Every room offers a view of the sea on one side of the spit or other!

To book, contact us at bookings.hoc@hants.gov.uk or on 02380 884 930.

We look forward to hearing from you.