Calshot Activities Centre

undefined, Solent News

Calshot Activities Centre occupies the site of the former RAF Calshot on the tip of a shingle spit at the entrance to Southampton Water. The centre is operated by Hampshire County Council and offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities, including sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, powerboating, climbing, cycling, skiing, and snowboarding. The dry ski slope and velodrome are housed within the original RAF hangars, which are among the largest single-span buildings in the country. Calshot Spit has a rich aviation history. The RAF station was established during the First World War as a seaplane base and later became famous as the starting point for the Schneider Trophy seaplane races in the 1920s and 1930s, which drove the development of the high-speed engines that would power the Spitfire. Calshot Castle, a small Henry VIII artillery fort at the tip of the spit, predates the airfield and is managed by English Heritage. The spit offers views across Southampton Water to Fawley and across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. The surrounding mudflats and saltmarshes are important for wintering birds, and the beach is popular with walkers and anglers.