Zip to it at Farran Woods
As someone who goes on regular hikes and is interested in fitness, I was expecting a trip to Farran Woods Zipit Forest Adventure centre to be enjoyable, as well as a bit of a challenge, and I was not disappointed.
It’s important to note that the facility has options for people of all ages and abilities, so as we were lining up to get our safety harness on, there was already a children’s birthday party and a hen party flying across the course!
The process begins with a harness fitting and then the extremely friendly and helpful staff provide you with a safety talk and demonstration on how to complete the course in a safe manner.
Anyone worried about falling, need not worry - the safety system is fool proof and involves a series of clips and magnets that are designed in such a way that you cannot move to the next obstacle until you are safely clipped on to the main safety wire that runs throughout all the courses.
The facility has five courses with each one varying in degrees of difficulty.
All the courses have climbing ladders, zip lines, shaky bridges and other imaginative obstacles to compete, all above ground-level in the trees that surround Farran Woods.
The two most difficult courses are the red and blue lines but all individuals have to prove to staff that they can complete the lower courses before being allowed to do these. I would not be terribly comfortable with heights but the safety system was so well designed I felt comfortable enough to do all the courses.
The highest point is about 15 metres above the ground but you are so busy climbing and balancing yourself in various precarious positions that you hardly notice, it is not something you should do lightly, however!
There are some obstacles that require a certain amount of upper body strength in order to get across the course but the lower levels are certainly achievable for anyone.
I found the red course very challenging, especially the freefall base jump from 15 metres, I delayed for a few minutes at the top but eventually found some courage and jumped off.
The whole activity was enjoyable and tough at the same time, the most important thing to realise is not to rush anything, do it at your own time and you will get through it.
On one of the levels, a woman twice my age was ahead of me and although she did find it tough, she pushed through, and by all accounts enjoyed it immensely.
The staff are very helpful and if they see you struggling at any part they will stop and give you advice on how to sort yourself out.
It is not all go however, and if you wish to take a break, there is plenty of room for a family picnic and to take a nice stroll through the woods.
All in all I had a really good time and would recommend anyone to do this, it is an enjoyable yet challenging activity at a reasonable price that is suitable for the entire family, from the child to the grandparent.
Definitely give it a go!
For more information contact Zipit at 051-858008 or email info@zipit.ie or book online at zipit.ie.