People planning to embark on the Bray to Greystones cliff walk over the bank holiday weekend are being diverted to the local main road as Wicklow County Council enforces the closure of the route.
The 7km walk, popular with bird watchers, is perched about 10 metres above the Dart line and rises to about 100 metres above sea level at its highest point, offering views from Bray Head across to Howth and Wicklow Head.
However, it has been officially closed since early 2021 because of the danger of rockfalls on the Bray side and landslides on the Greystones side. This has not halted walkers and many people continue to visit the route every weekend, which has economic benefits for the towns at either end of the trek.
In recent days, new barriers have been placed across the walk on the Greystones side with warning signs advising people of the danger of cliff falls.
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Further signage bearing Wicklow County Council branding indicates a route for an alternative walk. This starts at Greystones and heads northwards out of the town through housing estates to a national monument called St Crispin’s Cell. It then joins the main Bray to Greystones road over Bray Head before taking a path to a higher route, above the cliff walk, and on towards Bray seafront.
The signage advises walkers that the alternative route, once it leaves the main road, involves “extremely challenging and rough terrain”. At 10km, it is about 50 per cent longer than the popular cliff walk.
Greystones resident Joe Breen, a former Irish Times employee, said he was disappointed to be confronted by the barriers and signage when he went to go for a walk on Friday. “It seems to be getting incrementally worse and there doesn’t seem to be any plan to fix it,” Mr Breen said.
According to Bray-based Independent councillor Joe Behan, officials in the local authority have said the solution to issues along the route would have to involve outside agencies. “I personally think a kind of boardwalk over the collapsed area would be a possibility. But it would be a big job and perhaps, given that the Taoiseach lives here, he might help,” Mr Behan said.
Wicklow County Council said: “Unfortunately the walk from both sides remains closed for safety reasons.
“Officials from both the Bray Municipal District and the Greystones Municipal District are working together to find a solution to reopen it from both sides. Consideration is being given to land acquisition from local land owners on the Greystones side.”
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