Bray Head cliff walk reopened

Manchegan

Three cheers for Wicklow Co Co and the local authorities and props to the campaigners!

Bray Head cliff walk reopens after path moved back from coast Irish Times, Saturday, July 9
One of the most picturesque cliff walks on the east coast will officially reopen today following the completion of remedial works aimed at saving the cliff from slipping into the sea.
The five-kilometre Bray to Greystones cliff walk, which attracts thousands of walkers to north Wicklow, was recently declared a no-go area by Wicklow County Council due to erosion to a narrow pathway on the southern slopes of Bray Head.
The local authority has since acquired land from a local farmer, which enabled it to move the path several metres away from the coast. Drainage and a new hard-core topping is also being installed on the walkway as part of a €140,000 works programme, funded by the Department of the Environment.
A lobby group, Friends of the Cliff Walk, has campaigned for the improvements. More than 200 people turned up at a recent meeting on the subject, according to Greystones councillor George Jones(FG).
"There is a great deal of passion about the walk locally. People realised the value of it. There is probably nothing on the east coast that is comparable to it."
He noted Wicklow County Council was looking at plans to develop a more extensive coastal walk, from Bray to Arklow, with the hope of creating a major tourist attraction for the county.
The environmentalist, Eamon de Buitlear, is to lead today's walk, which departs from the Bray Head car park, off Raheen Park, at 11.30am. The walk coincides with the opening of the Bray Summer Fest.
Mr Jones said the cliff walk, which closely follows the east coast railway line, was popular with hill-walkers, families, tourists and bird-watchers. "The views from it are immaculate, especially on a good day. There is plenty of flora and fauna, which makes it very attractive for visitors to the county. You could have hundreds on the walk every day, and you always meet a couple of Germans or Italians or Americans on it."
Friends of the Cliff Walk has succeeded in getting Wicklow County Council and the twwo local town councils to reserve some money in their estimates for the maintenance of the amenity.
Under a proposed second stage of improvement works, new railings, fences and signage will be installed, and another parcel of land will be acquired, which would allow the walk come closer to Greystones Harbour.

fatherdougalmag

Might be a good spot for the airshow next month. Probably best to drive down to Greystones on the new M50 bit and then DART back up to Bray. Nice walk back.

red_bairn

I love the walk :rolleyes: .But i think there is a lot to be done with it. I was on the walk recently and saw a few changes of a new dug-out path.The fencing is the biggest problem coz its not noticeable to be dangerous to vistiors/tourists. As long as they get new fencing and fix up the path it'll look well.The council should also add things like shelters (incase it starts to rain) and taps along the way (for a drink/to wash). Its the only thing that will look great after they take away our harbour! :mad: Its great they are making it but i'll miss the old one terribly as i will not be able to go for a swim der in years to come or to skim stones along the tranquil water or the sit down and to look at the twilight lay upon the open sea...

pwd

Hadn't been aware they had closed it. This is good news for me, I guess, since I will be moving close enough to there in a month or so. Personally I found walking close to the edge of the cliff to be part of the fun though. Are they going top make a tarmac path or something now? That would detract from it I think.