Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre

Grid Reference
SU408157
Parking
The Outdoor Sports Centre is located in Southampton, just off the Avenue. The easiest parking (free) is available by The View Pub off Hill Lane, walk down the hill to the Reception building/start of the Permanent Course.
More info here: https://activenation.org.uk/venues/the-outdoor-sports-centre/
Maps available from

Free online from https://www.goorienteering.org.uk/course/southampton_outdoor_sports_centre

Extensive building works are being carried out during 2026. Following the work, the map will be updated, and the controls will be replaced. In the meantime, the courses have been removed, but the score map has been left for those who wish to walk around the area at their own risk.

Courses

There are three Permanent Orienteering Courses at The Outdoor Sports Centre, designed for different skill and experience levels. They all start and finish at the same place – outside Reception / Building #1. Times are walking pace, distances are straight line measurements between controls.

COURSE 1, EASY, 25 – 30 minutes, 1.5 Km, map scale 1:5000

(Equivalent to a ‘Yellow’ orienteering event course – beginners and juniors); this is along paths with the only decisions being which path to take next. A compass is not necessary. This course is suitable for wheelchairs and off-road buggies.

COURSE 2, IMPROVER , 35 – 40 mins,  2.4 Km, map scale 1:5000 

(Equivalent to an ‘Orange’ orienteering course event – for competitors who have tried the sport before. Controls are often just off tracks / paths and short cuts can be an advantage); familiarity with Orienteering maps and simple compass work is an advantage. 

COURSE 3, MEDIUM , 45 – 50 minutes,  3.7 Km, scale 1:5000

(Equivalent to a ‘Light Green’ orienteering event course – some experience of maps and compass reading will help); it is possible to find the controls from the paths but more fun to use a simple compass and navigate from one control to next.

Map

The map was updated in 2016 and is a typical modern, waterproof, Orienteering map. The scale is large so there is a lot of detail which you would not see on a regular OS map.