The SHAC - The Surrey Hills Adventure Company at The SHAC Lagoon - Betchworth

Jim Tolchard

My daughter and I had a fantastic day efoiling at The SHAC as a joint birthday present. John was a brilliant instructor. He really ensured we had the best time possible on a beautiful sunny afternoon on the lake. His relaxed, clear instructions over the radio meant we were both standing up and flying in no time. Highly recommend having a go!

Naomi

My first time paddleboarding and I went with my friends a few weeks ago. Initially we were told how to use the paddleboard but there was no demo until around 20min into the session

Then we were shown how to properly stand up which made a huge difference as I was scared to stand up at first. Then I had the confidence to try it instead of only sitting down. It was fun so I would visit again!

elizabeth griffin

This is a safe and easy way to build your confidence for open water wild swimming. Very friendly staff. You must book online first. But if you want to walk around the lake you can. There is a nice restaurant/cafe on the top of the hill above the lake, called the reverie.

Michael Albers

Been open water swimming a few times and was always greeted by lovely people and an incredible location.

Today we took a course in SUP and I took my wife daughter and a friend there. Our teacher Sophie was absolutely amazing. Super kind and patient and a fantastic instructor for our whole family. Would give this place and the amazing team 10 stars if I could. Highly recommend.

Simon A

I usually swim in the sea next to where I live, however, often due to weather conditions I have to swim outdoors elsewhere. Enter SHAC!! SHAC swimming is fabulous. Set in a lovely location the lake is lovely and makes for a great swimming experience. Safety is obviously taken very seriously by the friendly and professional staff. There is always a staff member on an SUP board supervising swimmers and ensuring you are okay ( especially in the colder months), plus staff on the 'beach' supervising and advising. Post swim, warm up by the fire pit and chat to other swimmers. The centre also has showers and changing rooms plus a food van. Great place. I will continue my lake swimming here. Thank you to all the staff.

Simon Harmer

The SHAC - The Surrey Hills Adventure Company at The SHAC Lagoon

The SHAC is an outdoor adventure organisation that does everything it can to get you outside to take some risks, have some fun and enjoy the beauty of the Surrey Hills and all it has to offer.

You can find The Shac at Buckland Park Lake near Reigate, which is just off Reigate Road.

The swim course at The Lagoon is a 400m loop and is ideal for experienced open water swimmers and beginners alike. The swimming course is set out so that swimmers are no further than 15m away from the safety of the bank at any point; all swimmers are watched over by their team of lifeguards, making it one of the safest open water swim venues in the country.

I've swum at The Shac a few times; I particularly like swimming there during the Christmas break; Boxing Day is always busy, so booking your swim before turning up is worth it.

They have plenty of parking with a roped-off area for disabled visitors; it can get hectic trying to park; maybe consider car sharing if swimming with a group or arrive with enough time before your swim.

After your swim, there is on-site catering; you can grab a hot drink and some food before heading off.

I love swimming at The Shac; it's the perfect place to meet up with other swimmers for a well-deserved dip.

Grant Macfarlane

Thanks John for the awesome efoiling session on a beautiful cold autum day! I absolutely loved it and will be back soon to keep progessing. 5 star instuctor and set up!

Leanne

I visited Buckland Park to participate in an outdoor swimming session with SHAC. Easy to get to and there appeared to be sufficient carparking for a warm and sunny Sunday.

The swimming Lagoon itself is beautiful! Very clean considering wildlife also enjoy the beauty of the Lagoon! It is comforting to see plenty of qualified lifeguards on hand, which made me feel safe swimming in the water. The staff were friendly too.

I didn't use all the facilities onsite so unable to comment on them specifically. However, I could see a van offering refreshments, a small playground for kids, toilets and a small area of water for kids to play in. I believe there are showers available to use but overheard a member of staff say there were out of order. I noticed in the corner of the carpark they had Segway available and walking tracks around the Lagoon and larger lake (which I also didn't see)

Regarding the outdoor swimming lesson I had - the instructor Linda was very friendly and informative, taking the group through the key things to consider when looking to swim in an open body of water, paying particular attention to the different types of open water places you may find, what important things to consider before jumping into the water and the right equipment to use to keep safe.

Whilst I found the session useful, I did feel this information could have been squeezed into an hour to give us more time to experience being in the water, swim and enjoy the beauty of the Lagoon - particularly given the weather was warm and sunny!

Also, upon reflection, I felt the price for the 2 hour session did seem quite high considering we didn't really walk away with any resources to read in our own time nor did we receive a keepsake (like a swimmers cap or tow bag) as part of the session price (£72) - I feel this would be a great touch to the session.

All-in-all, I will definitely come back to enjoy more of Buckland Park and the Lagoon.