SECTION 8
With more than 1,400 acres of airsoft goodness,
Section 8 is one of the largest sites in the UK. Baz Collins
makes the trip to Dura Forest, to the first site he played
L
ong before I started airsofting
there was a site located
at Dura Forest in Allanton
between Glasgow and
Edinburgh. Its original name
was Firefight (Scotland) Airsoft but few
have ever known it as that – to us it’s
Section 8 (or S8 to the regulars).
This was the first site I ever played, and
indeed the first I ever even heard about.
In my early years I found out about the
sport via online gaming clans. One of my
teammates put up a picture of him holding
a G3A3 and immediately I had to know
more.
He gave me Section 8’s web address
and suggested I check it out. After a quick
030
March 2012
browse of the forums I made a few friends
and went to my first game day at Section 8.
I’ve never looked back!
I still get out to S8 a good few times a
year, but as I don’t drive and have a site a
mere 20 minutes away I don’t get out as
much as I’d like to (S8 is almost an hour
away unfortunately). But I finally managed
to arrange transport and made my way to
the site in early January.
The site is massive, and I really do mean
massive! Dura Forest covers 1,400 acres
and all of it is in play, though obviously not
all in one game. There are multiple zones
spanning across much of the forest that
allow for varying styles of gameplay, and
S8 is one of the largest sites in the UK.
Speaking of size, some of the bases
at S8 are huge too. A lot revolve around
wooded bases (obviously) and that’s all
well and good, but one built base that
springs to mind is Canadia. This is a large
base situated at the top of a small gradient.
The amount of fun had here is unreal, as
both attacking and defending is difficult
and makes you want to go and watch
Hamburger Hill!
But this is not the best S8 has to offer,
for on the far reaches of the site there
is a total hidden gem. Once you reach it
you will be amazed – it’s called The Alamo
and is outside the wooded area, across a
dried-out riverbed where an old cottage
sits. The only way to get here is either to