If you are taking part in a SHAC activity your SHAC booking entitles you to park for the duration of your course or for up to 2 hours for free. If you wish to remain longer than this you will need to purchase an entry ticket from www.bucklandparklake.co.uk

The address is Buckland Park Lagoon, Reigate Rd, Buckland, Betchworth RH3 7BG

This spectacular watersports and wildlife site is  in the pretty village of Buckland located halfway between Dorking and Reigate. Buckland hosts its own private park, containing a large diversity of birdlife and woods for you to explore. Taking central position is the Buckland Park lagoon, a shallow stretch of water that is perfect for watersports training. This idyllic spot is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle, only 15 miles from London with a pretty beach formed from the natural, local sandy banks. 

The nearest Railway Station is Betchworth, or there are a few buses from Reigate or Dorking. 

More info on the site itself is available at www.bucklandparklake.co.uk

Only participants that have booked onto a SHAC activity are entitled to entry in to Buckland Park. Additional visitors should purchase a ticket to gain visit the Park. Tickets can be purchased from www.bucklandparklake.co.uk

If a child is taking part in Junior SUP club or is swimming an accompanying parent or guardian is welcome to stay & spectate.

We dynamically assess conditions constantly to keep our staff & clients safe. In the event that we cannot operate we will let you know & arrange your session for a different day. If you do not hear from us then presume that all is well for your session to go ahead.

To make bookings with us initially you need to set up a SHAC account by clicking one of the Booking buttons on any activity.

All standard bookings need to be made on our website using your account so that we can collect the necessary information about each attendee in order for them to participate. Enquiries about large private group bookings can be made by emailing info@theshac.co.uk

If you want to book for more than just yourself or for someone else you need to add the other participants to your attendees list. We need this so that we have medical information & emergency contacts for everyone that attends a SHAC activity.

Click on Make a Booking and follow the booking process until the booking is in your Basket. This will involve logging in and/or creating an account-  we don’t have guest accounts presently.

Once you have added a new Booking to your Basket, the system will ask you to ensure you have added the correct number of attendees to your Booking. Eg if you have booked 4 places in a single SUP booking, it will ask for the names of 4 attendees. In there you will have the option to swap yourself out & someone else in or add attendees to the Booking.

You can add, remove or change attendees once you have logged in to your SHAC account.

You can access ‘Manage Your Attendees’ from the main page in your account or from the Menu (Click the ‘hamburger’ icon top right on a mobile phone or on a PC you will see .Manage Attendees’ displayed in the Menu under the SHAC banner at the top). Once in Manage Your Attendees you can then add, edit and delete your attendees’ details.

Alternatively, whilst you are making a Booking, once you have added a new Booking to your Basket, the system will ask you to ensure you have added the correct number of attendees to your Booking. Eg if you have booked 4 places in a single SUP booking, it will ask for the names of 4 attendees. In there you will have the option to swap yourself out & someone else in or add attendees to the session.

You can change your bookings in your SHAC account up to 48 hours prior to the start of your booked session. Log in & go into ‘My Bookings’ & you will see the transactions that are within the time frame to be able to be changed. There is a button which says “change booking”. Instructions of how to change your bookings will appear on the screen.

If you are within 48 hours of your session you are no longer eligible to change your booking. 

For Woodland Adventure Days only: Please bring a packed lunch and drinks & snacks. Please DO NOT pack any food items that may contain nuts.

For Forest School and Adventure Days:

Full Water bottle
Suitable outdoor footwear- Closed toe shoes/boots (no sandals or flip flops). Wellington boots for paddling in the stream that runs through camp. Please ensure you are happy that any footwear you bring could get muddy.
Personal medication – eg Epi pens or asthma inhalers

Weather related items:
Water proof jacket/trousers – if poor weather is forecast these are essential to help keep you dry and warm.
Woolly hat / Gloves / Scarf – If you are attending one of our spring or winter camps it can get cold away from the campfire so wrap up warm.
Sunscreen, sunhat & insect repellent

Sadly not, Our age range for a Woodland Adventure Day is 6 – 12 years old. In our experience we have found that if we stretch the age range beyond where we have set it the needs of the children become too varied. To make sure that everyone has the best experience possible we have set the age limit to where we think it works the best.

Our woodland site is an ideal space for groups of adults or mixed groups of adults & children, We can offer age & ability appropriate activities to suit most people. For information regarding woodland activities & parties for groups please contact info@theshac.co.uk for details.

The SHAC is currently not in a position to accept childcare vouchers as we are not a childcare facility.

During swimming events we may insist on wetsuit use depending on the particular event. In this instance details will be advertised with the event on our website & on your booking confirmation.

Junior swimmers age 10 – 15 are required to wear a wetsuit & tow float when swimming with SHAC

All swimmers are required to wear a BRIGHTLY COLOURED SWIMMING HAT (or carry a towfloat) at all times when swimming with SHAC so that they are visible to our lifeguards.

If a child is swimming an accompanying parent or guardian is welcome to stay & spectate. 

• To build confidence in swimming in an open water/wild environment through essential knowledge and understanding of open water swimming & an outdoor environment.

Course Content

• Pre swim procedures you need to be aware of before entering open water to swim.
• The importance & benefits of evaluating swim locations
• The use of equipment recommended when swimming in wild locations.
• Wetsuits – How to get them on and off successfully and what types of wetsuits are available and why.
• Other equipment, tow floats, hats, goggles, etc
• Essential warm up procedures
• Acclimatization & cold water shock
• Safe water entry and exit and identifying hazards
• Post swim care
• Next Steps.

Junior swimmers age 10 and above are welcome to swim with SHAC during our swimming sessions. All junior swimmers must wear a wetsuit & tow float as well as a brightly coloured swimming hat. All swimmers need to be able to swim 400 metres comfortably.

The water in The Lagoon gets deep very quickly as the land drops away sharply from the beach area. This makes the Lagoon unsuitable for leisure swimming or paddling with small children. There is a shallow pool area in Buckland Park where children up to 10 years can have fun in the water.

There are two stretches of inter-connected water at Buckland Park: the smaller Lagoon, and the much larger Lake.

You do not have to attend a SUP skills session to paddle on the Lagoon, but you do need to have attended a SUP skills session to paddle on the lake because of the extra safety concerns.

Therefore we offer two main types of session –

• a SUP Lagoon session, no experience or skills demonstration needed
• Or a Freeride session on the lake, which DOES require you to have attended a SUP skills session. 

SUP Skills Sessions
The Introduction to SUP session is designed for complete novices or for those who have been on a SUP before but have had no or minimal instruction.
Price includes full instruction and board hire in a relaxed and fun environment.

Minimum swim requirement 25m. All paddlers must be 16 or over.

We also run Family and Friends SUP sessions for younger paddlers (under 16) wanting to safely introduce their children to SUP: children need to be aged 6 or over and be accompanied by an adult.

All participants must be water confident & be able to swim 25 Metres comfortably

Book Introduction to SUP

To get the offer you need so select 5 dates and book & pay for 5 Freeride sessions . Once you have done this the credit for 1 Freeride session will be added to your SHAC account for you to use at your leisure.
If you don’t know exactly when you want to Freeride book way ahead. You can change any of your bookings up to 48 hours prior to the start of a session.

Book Freeride Own Board   Book Freeride with Board Hire

Special rules apply to Buckland Park: only participants that have booked onto a SHAC activity are entitled to entry in to Buckland Park. Additional visitors should purchase a ticket to gain visit the Park. Tickets can be purchased from www.bucklandparklake.co.uk. If a child is paddleboarding, an accompanying parent or guardian is welcome to stay & spectate.

The SHAC welcomes groups. Your visit can be to participate in a single or multiple activities. Bespoke catering can also be provided by The Buckland Park Lake onsite restaurant, The Reverie. If you would like to bring a private group please contact us at info@theshac.co.uk with your requirements. Alternatively, why not book a Family and Friends session for upto 12 people  – more info here or simply …

Book Family and Friends

You can opt to hire a wetsuit from us. A wide range of wetsuits are available to hire at the site on the day for £10 per suit.

Your favourite mug! for tea or other hot drink

A blanket or equivalent to sit on & maybe a plastic bag underneath if the ground is damp.

Yoga mat is optional. We will be doing the physical part of our yoga practice on the beach enabling us to connect directly with the earth below or use a towel or blanket

Layers of clothing – loose, comfortable clothing & lots of extra layers to keep warm especially for after getting out of the water.

A snack 

Notepaper & a pen

Journal (optional)

Swimwear (optional)

Towel

Hat, gloves & anything to keep you warm if it is chilly

Torch

Your favourite mug! for tea or other hot drink

A blanket or equivalent to sit on & maybe a plastic bag underneath if the ground is damp.

Layers of clothing to keep warm.

A snack 

Notepaper & a pen

Journal (optional)

Swimwear (optional)

Towel

Hat, gloves & anything to keep you warm if it is chilly

Torch

Participants need to be a minimum of 16 years old to take part in a Spooncarving session.