Outdoor corporate adventures at Farran Woods, 20 minutes from Cork City
Twenty minutes from Cork City, on the edge of Inniscarra Lake. Forty-five hectares of forest and five colour-coded high ropes circuits through the canopy, making it one of Munster’s finest settings for an outdoor team day.
Zipit Farran Forest Park (locals call it Farran Woods) sits in the Coillte forest beside the National Rowing Centre. The setting is different from anything you’ll find closer to Cork City: lakeside forest, lush trees, and that particular quiet that comes from being surrounded by woodland rather than buildings.
Your team spends three hours working through circuits that range from one metre off the ground to twenty metres up in the canopy. Rope bridges, cargo nets, balance beams, climbing walls, and ziplines that cross forest clearings. The format works for corporate groups because it’s genuinely challenging without being exclusionary. Everyone finds their level. The person who flies through the red circuit and the person who sticks to green both come away having done something real.
No PowerPoints. No icebreakers. No forced fun. Just forest, harnesses, and the people you work with.
Groups of 10 to 100+ welcome. For larger teams, we split across circuits and stagger start times. Most Cork corporate groups book weekday sessions, which tend to be quieter than weekends.
Every corporate booking covers three hours on site. Here’s the breakdown.
Safety briefing and equipment (30 minutes)
Everyone gets fitted with a full harness and helmet. Our instructors (all ERCA-certified) explain how the continuous belay system works: you clip in at the start and stay clipped in until you’re back on the ground. No experience necessary. The briefing covers circuit rules, platform transitions, and what to do if someone needs assistance.
Circuit time (2.5 hours)
Five circuits, colour-coded from green (easiest) to red (hardest). Green stays about one metre off the ground. Red takes you 15 metres into the canopy with ziplines spanning entire clearings. Everyone starts in green or blue, gets comfortable, then works their way up as confidence builds.
Nobody has to do anything they’re not comfortable with. Some people spend three hours on the lower circuits. Others push straight for red. Both approaches work. The point is doing something physical together, not proving who’s bravest.
All equipment provided
Wear comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and closed-toe shoes with good grip. Trainers are ideal. Harnesses are provided, and gloves are available to purchase on the day if you’d like them.
If you’re organising team building for a Cork-based company, the options are limited. Indoor activities that feel contrived. The hassle and cost of travelling to other cities. Or the same venues you’ve used before.
Farran Woods offers something different. Twenty minutes from Cork City, but it feels like a different world. Lakeside forest instead of industrial estates. Three hours of genuine physical challenge instead of sitting in a conference room pretending to enjoy a quiz.
The geography works well for Munster-based companies. Farran is 20 minutes from Cork City and around 90 minutes from both Limerick and Waterford, making it a reasonable central point for teams spread across the province. Kerry is about an hour. For Munster-wide team events, this is often the most practical central point.
Something happens when your team is fifteen metres up a tree together. The office dynamics shift. The hierarchy flattens. People help each other in ways they wouldn’t in a meeting room. The quiet person turns out to be fearless. The confident one needs encouragement. Three hours later, your team has a shared reference point that has nothing to do with work.
Address: Farran Woods, Farran, Co. Cork
Getting there: Off the N22 (Cork to Killarney road). Well signposted from the main road. About 20 minutes from Cork City Centre, 60 minutes from Limerick, 90 minutes from Waterford, 50 minutes from Killarney. Free parking on site with space for cars and minibuses.
Session times: We run sessions throughout the day. Most corporate groups book 10am or 2pm slots. Weekdays are generally quieter.
Duration: Plan for 3 to 3.5 hours on site.
Group sizes: Minimum 10 people for corporate bookings. No maximum; we split larger groups across circuits and stagger times.
Weather: We run in all conditions except in the case of extreme weather warnings, electrical storms, or high winds. The forest canopy provides good cover in rain. If we have to cancel, we’ll reschedule at no cost.
Food: No café on site. Picnic benches available. For lunch options, The Angler’s Rest is 15 minutes away by car. Cork City has plenty of choices, 20 minutes back towards town.
Here’s how a 10am booking unfolds.
9:40am: Arrive at Farran Woods. The car park is right beside the Zipit area.
10:00am: Check in at the cabin. Check that waivers are signed and harnesses are fitted.
10:15am: Group safety briefing on the circuits and equipment.
10:45am: Onto the circuits. Everyone starts on green, getting a feel for the course before progressing through the colour-coded circuits at their own pace. Some push on quickly to the higher levels. Others take their time and enjoy the experience. Both are fine.
12:30pm: Most people finishing up. Harnesses returned, group photo.
1:00pm: Head off. Back to Cork for lunch, or continue the day somewhere nearby.
Many groups extend the day with food afterwards. The lakeside setting at Farran is pleasant for a picnic if the weather holds. Otherwise, Cork City is 20 minutes away with every option you’d expect.
Pharma companies from Ringaskiddy and Little Island. Tech firms from Mahon Point. Financial services teams from the city centre. Manufacturing groups from across Munster. SMEs with ten staff and multinationals with thousands.
The pattern is the same across all of them: companies wanting something active, something outdoors, and something that their team will actually remember. Most have tried other options before. Indoor activities that felt forced. Pub quizzes that divided the team into the same cliques as always. Day trips that cost twice as much and took twice as long.
What works here is the simplicity. You turn up, you climb, you help each other, you leave having done something together. No debrief necessary. The experience speaks for itself.
Fill in the form below and we’ll come back to you within 24 hours with availability and pricing. Or call us directly on +353 (0)51 858008.