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

For my 40th birthday I was bought a voucher for a 1 hour E-foil session at the SHAC. Although I was apprehensive about doing it this was mainly because of the cold water. I absolute loved every minute of it. By the end of it I was standing up and managing to jump the board a little, something I did not imagine me doing before starting. I will definitely be recommending this to friends and family.

Myself and my business partner, when for a session with Skip at the SHAC - and man did it exceed our expectations. We run our own company and had to move our dates a few times and never did skip mind, he was always like yeah man let's make it work. When we finally made it, the site is in such. beautiful unique setting and it feels high end like 10 stars. Skip got us our wetsuits and got us out there ripping up the water, he was a cool dude with a great personality and we both felt comfortable with his knowledge and expertise. I got out there and was stood within 20 mins and was flying soon after. I have a a bit of surfing and skating experience but found it intuitive. I loved it here and will be back. After wards we had a beautiful lunch at the restaurant there - this place is a great day out for all the family I can't recommend it highly enough - thanks SKIP - Danny and Jonny from One Stop Films

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.

The SHAC - The Surrey Hills Adventure Company at The SHAC LagoonThe 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.

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.

WOW!!! My daughter and 3 friends celebrated her 12'th birthday at the SHAC. They did Stand Up Paddle-boarding. It was absolutely amazing. John their guide/instructor was so lovely, patient and knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. They had the best time. Thank you. Highly recommend the SHAC :)

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.

Thank you very much to Skip for a fantastic introduction to efoil. His friendliness, patience and positivity made the session extremely fun and thoroughly enjoyable. The feeling of gliding above the water is unique and mind blowing. The nature and surroundings are stunning and I can’t recommend enough a visit to this magical place.