Runway's End Outdoor Centre

From £33 For 1 night, 4 adults 9.6 61 reviews
Smart camping pods (added by manager 12 Sep 2019)
Our pods! (added by michelle_t204842 08 jun 2021)
Pods alongside footpath leading to games field (added by manager 12 sep 2019)
Peaceful. (added by visitor 19 aug 2021)

  • Peaceful site by Basingstoke Canal between Farnborough and Aldershot
  • A 15-minute drive from Birdworld, 45 minutes from Marwell Zoo
  • Secure site with facilities designed to be accessible for all guests
Safety, accessibility and activity are the watchwords for stays at Runway's End Outdoor Centre, a quiet Hampshire site next to the Basingstoke Canal between Farnborough and Aldershot (and less than 10 minutes’ drive from the centre of either). This is a place where parents can relax and let the nippers have a bit of freedom: the relatively compact site is entirely surrounded by fencing (with a key-coded access gate for added security) and kept car-free so there’s plenty of safe space to roam about a bit. There’s a spacious grass area for playing games, and various activities can be booked ahead (such as archery and climbing). As well as being designed with utmost security in mind, this is a place that’s also been set up to be fully accessible. Showers, toilets and washing-up facilities are a short walk from the pods and pitches, and all amenities are linked by flat paths to make everything easy to get around. And getting out is just straightforward: stroll or cycle out from the site onto the canal towpath and you can follow it for 32 miles along the water’s edge. The local area is also full of military history attractions and museums to visit, along with family-friendly attractions such as animal parks and an open-air pool. Junction 4 of the M3 is about 10 minutes’ drive from the site, so it’s easy to get down here from London, or head up for a day trip with a journey of around an hour by car (traffic permitting, of course).

Site type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 10
Tent pitches 10
Open all year
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

98%

would recommend this site to a friend

95%

would stay here again

  • 83%
    10
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    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Friendly staff and pod was nice.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Hemant Kumar G. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Facility and location

Recommend to friends Visit again

We spent a lovely weekend in one of the yurts. Despite the…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
JAMES W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Rosemary yurt

Liked: We spent a lovely weekend in one of the yurts. Despite the weather being awful, the yurt was really cosy. It had everything we needed, including a cooker, fridge/freezer and plenty of utensils/crockery etc. A heater was provided and the space itself was warm and comfortable. The decor was very homely and fairy lights were a nice touch giving a lovely glow in the evenings. The site itself is well situated right by the canal, there are plenty of pubs within driving distance or a long walking distance. Plenty of information before we arrived and check-in was easy. All of the staff are so welcoming and nothing was too much trouble.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Wooded glade pitches, campfires, great facilities

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Mat M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: The space and privacy of the large pitches. Clean facilities. Great access to the canal. Friendly & helpful staff. Loads of activities, which looked great, although we didn't join in due to the age of the kids being a bit too low.

Disliked: It didn't really detract from our experience, but the location was close enough to civilisation for distant busy road noise

Recommend to friends Visit again

The staff were excellent, and the site was clean…

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: The staff were excellent, and the site was clean

Recommend to friends Visit again

Child friendly safe environment.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Dawn M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: Great place to go on your first camping/pod experience. Great facilities and perfect set up.

Disliked: There could have been a mop left to clean the shower floors as they get dirty quickly but other than that we had a great time.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really enjoyed our stay here.

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: The facilities here were great.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had a great time. The logs were just right, clean and welcoming.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 4
saheed y. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: We had a great time. The logs were just right, clean and welcoming. We BBQ-ed, played football, went into the Cave, did Archery and climbed the wall. We had a great time. The staff were welcoming and knowledgeable.

Disliked: Would have booked more activities but couldn't due to available staff.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Large private pitches, games field, plenty of enclosed safe space for…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 6
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Victoria L. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: Large private pitches, games field, plenty of enclosed safe space for the children to run around, build dens, ride bikes, play with local wildlife! Decent showers, loos, washing up. Right by the canal so we fished and paddle boarded. Activity centre on site so for £20 each the children did 2.5 hours caving and archery. Dominoes deliver to site! Lovely countryside around, good for walking. Canal centre 10mins drive away with canoes etc, pretty cafe and walks, local ice cream.

Disliked: No food options or shop on site or within walking distance. Staff very nice but hidden away behind locked gate at end of the car park. Dusty pitches turned muddy in rain. Near main road, airport and on the weekend we stayed, the British motorsport show, so not quite a rural idyll! Not sure why they ask you to leave at 10am or why you can’t check in until 3pm.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The staff were lovely and friendly and helpful. We had a huge…

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Fiona B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch

Liked: The staff were lovely and friendly and helpful. We had a huge pitch surrounded by trees with only one other pitch occupied even though it was the school holidays. Quiet location on the Basingstoke canal, we walked there and back for a mini adventure with the children.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent secure site ideal for families

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Sarah A. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod

Liked: This is our 4th year at Runways End, we have stayed in the pods for the last 2, the pods are clean and spacious. The factilies are always clean and tidy. The site is secure so the kids can run off and play.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house

Cycle hire

Evening entertainment

Fishing

Fitness centre

Games room

Indoor swimming pool

Kids' club

On-site restaurant/cafe

Outdoor swimming pool

Play area

TV room

Take away

Tennis

Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available

Car parking by pitch/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

Dog park

Drying room

Food shop

Free wifi

Ice pack freezing

Internet access

Launderette

Parent & baby washroom

Pick-up from public transport

Portable toilet

Pub toilets

Public telephone

Shower available

Toilet block

Washing-up area

Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome

Family friendly

Motorcycle friendly

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided

Barbecues allowed

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

No dogs allowed

Themes

Forest

Peaceful

Utilities

Charging facilities

Chemical disposal

Electric car charging point(s)

Gas cylinders available

Recycling available

Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby

Dog walk nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches)

Pop-up campsite

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby

Climbing nearby

Cycling nearby

Mountain biking nearby

Watersports nearby

Location

Runway's End Outdoor Centre

1 Forge Lane

Aldershot

Hampshire

England

GU11 2RE

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

51.26457°N
-0.76981°W

Nearest transport

Coach
1.3 mi Bus Station
1.9 mi Kingsmead Bus Termini
1.9 mi Kingsmead Bus Termini
Rail
1.3 mi Aldershot Rail Station
1.8 mi North Camp Rail Station
2.2 mi Ash Vale Rail Station
Ferry
15.8 mi Weybridge Ferry Landing
15.8 mi Shepperton Ferry Landing
20.3 mi Moulsey - Hurst Park Ferry Landing
Airport
18.8 mi London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5
19.4 mi London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4
19.5 mi London Heathrow Airport Terminal 3

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Away from the target practice and climbing wall on site, it’s possible to launch canoes or kayaks for an outing on the canal next door, or you may like take a 10-minute drive for a bit of skiing or snowboarding at Alpine Snowsports Aldershot or an outdoor dip at Aldershot Lido. If the area’s military connections pique your interest, head over to Aldershot Military Museum (five minutes’ drive) to try out a tank and have a go on the World War II assault course. Those who prefer peaceful times can instead take a step back in time at the Rural Life Centre (20 minutes) for activities with a vintage vibe. Eagle-eyed animal enthusiasts will no doubt spot the signs for the excellent Marwell Zoo (45 minutes) in the local area; once you’ve taken a wander there, bump up the creature-spotting tally with a trip to Birdworld (15 minutes). Sticking to the historic highlights? Pay a visit to lovely Loseley Park (25 minutes) or plan a day out strolling the streets of Winchester (40 minutes).

Must see

Birdworld 6.4 mi

The Look Out Discovery Centre 8.6 mi

Jane Austen's House 13.1 mi

RHS Garden Wisley 13.3 mi

The Savill Garden 13.5 mi

National Trust

West Green House Garden 7.4 mi

River Wey and Godalming Navigations and Dapdune Wharf 8.4 mi

Shalford Mill 9.3 mi

Hindhead Commons and The Devil's Punch Bowl Caf� 10.5 mi

Winkworth Arboretum 10.8 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

MILITARY CEMETERY, ALDERSHOT 1.3 mi

FARNHAM PARK 3 mi

Fleet - Crookham - Dogmersfield - Winchfield 3 mi

MINLEY MANOR 3.7 mi

MOOR PARK 3.7 mi

Local events

  • Farnborough International Airshow (Monday 22 July 2024 – Monday 22 July 2024)

    Farnborough, Hampshire 0.5 mi

  • Reading Festival (Wednesday 21 August 2024 – Wednesday 21 August 2024)

    Reading, Berkshire 16.6 mi

  • Henley Royal Regatta (Tuesday 2 July 2024 – Tuesday 2 July 2024)

    Henley On Thames, Oxfordshire 19.7 mi

  • Rewind South (Friday 16 August 2024 – Friday 16 August 2024)

    Henley On Thames, Oxfordshire 20.6 mi

  • Hampton Court Palace Festival (Tuesday 11 June 2024 – Tuesday 11 June 2024)

    Hampton, Surrey 21 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Want to know more about camping in Hampshire?

  • Does Runway's End Outdoor Centre have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Runway's End Outdoor Centre dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Runway's End Outdoor Centre? Away from the target practice and climbing wall on site, it’s possible to launch canoes or kayaks for an outing on the canal next door, or you may like take a 10-minute … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Runway's End Outdoor Centre?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  10 a.m.

    The site works on a self check-in basis. You will receive a code to access the site after booking.

    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Runway's End Outdoor Centre? From £33 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.