Airsoft Sites: Hampshire

Hampshire benefits from a host of excellent airsoft sites and shops, and not only does it have some great skirmish sites, but it’s also home to The Longmoor Training Village, which is “one of the British Army’s premier urban training facilities”. www.airborne-airsoft.co.uk, just one of the airsoft outfits that make use of Longmoor, tells me “with a huge urban training area, featuring a village with dozens of accessible buildings, 200-acres of woodland terrain including tank hulls, crashed helicopters and even a train, this site is one of the best Airsoft locations in the UK. Used by the military to conduct urban warfare training known as F.I.B.U.A (Fighting In Built Up Areas) it lends itself to immersive scenarios, with day-long objectives in military simulated missions or fast paced skirmish games if a private party”. The site has excellent facilities and is located 100m from the A3 just south of Guildford, near Liphook, so check out the likes of Airborne Airsoft, https:// legionairsoftevents.com, and www.stirlingairsoft. com for games that are running at Longmoor.

With this undoubted ‘jewel in the crown’, Hampshire offers everything that any airsofter could possibly wish for; MilSim at Longmoor, The National Airsoft Festival at Ground Zero/Zero One, probably the best annual ‘Namsoft’ game in the UK courtesy of Combat South, some delightful themed games from Gunman Airsoft, and some top-notch skirmishing thanks to RIFT Airsoft, and UCAP. Hampshire truly is airsoft heaven!

(Please note that all Site Limits for power are MAXIMUMS measured using an industry standard .20g BB)

Ground zero

Address: Ashley Dr, Ashley Heath, Ringwood. BH24 2DF.
Tel: 01329 849 818 or 07951 415 188
Website: www.groundzeroairsoft.com

Ground Zero’s woodland site is situated about a mile from the nearest road on the private grounds of Somerley Estate in Ringwood, Hampshire. They have 12-years of experience and have helpful staff, experienced marshals and a fantastic group of up to 280 players each game; you will fit in straight away, no matter what your age, gender, or previous experience. There is ample car parking space in the safe zone and you can return to your vehicle whenever you want. With bases and structures dotted throughout the 150-acres of diverse terrain, you will enjoy some of the most varied gaming you can get. Whatever your style of play, the games run at Ground Zero will cater for your tastes; from the most objective obsessed, to the casual, one-off player! If you have your own equipment, then there is no need to call and book in; simply turn up and play. If you don’t have your own, a full rental service is offered for guns including the latest in safety masks and 1000 BBs to get you started. Combat clothing can also be rented. Ground Zero is also home to The National Airsoft Festival, where thousands of players gather in one place each Summer. If this sounds like ‘good times’, then please visit www. airsoftfestival.uk if you are interested in taking part in one of the largest annual airsoft games in Europe, when the Ground Zero Staff transform the site into an airsoft spectacular!

Site limits

Full auto: 350fps
Pistols: 350fps
DMR: (Semi Locked): 425fps
Sniper: 500fps
DMR and sniper: subject to minimum engagement distances

 

Gunman airsoft

Address: The Welsh Drive, Fleet Road, Eversley, Hampshire. RG27 0PY.
Tel: 07711 774 461or 07711 774 401(Eversley, specific enquiries)
Website: www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk

Gunman Airsoft are truly ‘one of a kind’ when it comes to what they offer for the airsofter, and they run not only at Eversley in Hampshire but also at Tuddenham (or ‘Tudders’ as it’s fondly known) in Suffolk. They offer regular skirmishes, but it’s really their themed weekenders that shine; if you fancy ‘holding the Fulda Valley’ against rampaging Cold war era Soviet hordes, getting down and dirty against ‘Victor Charles in the A-Shau’, mixing it up with desperadoes and dodging some ‘Flying Lead’, or bringing things more up to date with 90s ‘The Deltas of Suhud’, then this is the place for you! ‘The Valley’ at Eversley, though, boasts a 65-acre block of mixed terrain, supported by a silver birch, pine and rhododendron forest. With natural hills and a sweeping valley that passes around its heights, Eversley is a great location for airsoft and themed events of all sorts. During winter, the evergreens provide plenty of cover, as well as the hills and large number of built features; in the summer, the whole site takes on a thick jungle flavour, with ferns growing up all over the site. Fixed features include mortar pits, fire bases, CPs, AT emplacements, MG nests, ammo and fuel dumps, mineheads, small rebel camps, a fortified wall with watch towers and breachable gates, as well as Wild West and Viking style villages. Improvements are constantly being made to existing features as well as new areas being built, so the site is ever evolving. Gunman also has a wealth of quality mobile props, which can be put out in the field, including satellite listening posts, SAM emplacements, remote and timed explosives, laptops and more. Gunman bring a shop on site, selling airsoft guns and accessories, and there is also a caterer on site for open weekends. Water for drinking, washing and cooking is available and there are usually two portable chemical toilets (which are emptied weekly) permanently on site. Camping is highly encouraged and is free of charge, and for weekenders this makes things super-social! My thanks go to ‘Wyvern Oz’ for additional pictures used in this article; he’s a gifted photographer that works a lot with Gunman but is available if you need a good ‘snapper’ for your game, and you can easily find his page on Facebook.

Site limits

AEG/support weapon: 350fps DMR: 400fps
Bolt action/Gas Sniper: 500fps

 

Combat south

Address: Unit 4 Fairways Business Centre, Airport Service Road, Portsmouth. PO3 5NU.
Tel: 0239 2655636
Website: www.combatsouth.co.uk

Combat South is a family run business with over 20-year’s experience in the airsoft industry, and a site that I’ve had the pleasure of playing on many times over the years. They have a wealth of knowledge and pride themselves on friendly and informative customer service. Their award winning and superbly developed woodland skirmish site located in Hampshire is located in 90-acres of woodland near the village of Wickham and boast all the features you’d expect from a well-established site with ample parking, covered safe zone areas, onsite shop, food and toilet facilities.

Although they offer fabulous skirmish days and regular events; where Combat South stand out though, is for their annual ‘In Country Namsoft’ games, where players from around the UK, and indeed from overseas, gather each year for a fabulous weekend of themed airsoft. ‘In Country 18 - ‘Operation: Gunny’s Ballgame’ event will run from the evening of Friday 10th to the afternoon of Sunday 12th of August 2018 and I’m looking forward to this immensely! Whether you are new to airsoft or an experienced player,Combat South offer something for all your airsoft desires!

Site limits

AEG/Pistols/Gas/Automatic
Weapons: 350fps
DMR: 400fps
Sniper: 500fps

 

UCAP

Address: James Callaghan Dr, Portsmouth. PO17 6AR.
Tel: 0330 111 8227
Website: http://ucap.co.uk

UCAP is another very well-established outfit that’s been running quality airsoft games for years and their facilities are again what you’d expect.

With a variety of sites based across the south, they offer something to suit all tastes; UCAP is a one stop shop for both new players and old salts! Ever wanted to be a top gunner on a military vehicle, to sneak behind enemy lines in an armoured Land Rover, landed ashore in a ridged inflatable or dropped into a war zone via helicopter? UCAP can offer all of this and more… ‘Redemption’, Portsmouth Island’s first Airsoft site, is based just in the centre of Portsmouth and is based deep inside the former HMP Kingston; you can play in a genuine Victorian prison, with the cells and landings as your backdrop for some serious fun.

With hundreds of rooms, corridors, cells, landings and basements, Redemption is the South Coasts newest CQB Urban Airsoft site. ‘GreenOps’, is UCAP’s outdoor close quarter combat (C.Q.B) site, based midway between Portsmouth and London on the A3 at Liphook, and offers all the fun of being outdoors without having to walk miles doing it!

Littered with bunkers, forts, military vehicles and other man-made and natural structures, UCAP GreenOps is a challenging and exciting environment to play in.
Undoubtedly, though, UCAP are best known for The UCAP BUNKER, which is based just two miles north of Portsmouth, 100ft underground in the former U.G.H.Q (Underground HQ) used by the Royal Navy to plot the progress of the allied troops during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day. This unique location provides some of the finest facilities for Airsoft close quarter battle (C.Q.B) in the UK, and with over a mile and a half of useable tunnels, rooms and corridors as wide as streets, UCAP BUNKER is the premier all-weather 365/7/24 airsoft site. A dark maze with the possibility of danger around every corner; if you want a rush, this is it!

Site limits

Automatic electric
Guns: 350fps
DMR: 420fps
Sniper rifles: 500fps

Please note that minimum engagement distances are applied to both DMRs and Snipers.

 

QUite the site

Obviously, I haven’t been able to give a full mention to all the airsoft sites in Hampshire here, but please do also check out www.badlandsairsoft.co.uk, www.southcoast-cqb.co.uk, and www.riftairsoft.com