Cliff Walk’s Shiny New Gate Takes A Hike

Friends Of The Cliff Walk 27th May 2026

Council has “positive” talks with Cliff Walk landowner
Hopes grow for rockface rope access survey
Peter Murtagh

Wicklow County Council officials have held discussions with one of the Bray Head land owners, and will be opening talks with a second one this week, members of the Bray Head Management Committee have been told.

The engagement with the first owner was described as “positive” by the lead Council negotiator, Bray area manager and director of services Jackie Carroll, who said she hoped to be able to report progress at the next month’s meeting of the committee. Working with her is Graham Cullen, the Greystones area district engineer.

The landowner talks, in which the owners have been assured of confidentiality, are to see if agreement can be reached with them to have the Cliff Walk path moved inland on their land in an area above Greystones’ North Beach where a mixture of coastal erosion and absence of surface water drainage has caused the path to collapse in places.

Collapsing of the path in February 2021 prompted the Council to officially close the Walk and erect barriers on the Greystones side of Bray Head. A rock face fall near the Bray start of the Walk in October 2022 prompted the Council to erect more barriers there.

The update on current discussions with landowners was given by Ms Carroll as part of her report to the Committee on Tuesday, May 26th. The presentation of a formal monthly report on the Council’s activity regarding the Cliff Walk had been agreed at the previous meeting of the committee.

Ms Carroll’s report said, in full:
Meeting took place with Department regarding the continuing extension of the ORIS funding.

Social Media public safety update following notice of further slippage on the Cliff Walk.

Landowner negotiations – Met with Landowner and discussed potential land transfer required – walked site – further maps being prepared.

Landowner land boundary information provided to Tetratech [part of the RPS Group retained to advise on the Cliff Walk] upon request.
Met with Tetratech regarding technical note on proposed steps from beach to
Cliff Walk – some areas to be re-examined and Tetratech to revert to WCC on
these.
Engagement with Coastguard and Emergency Services on Bray side regarding
breach of barrier during Bray Head rescue event.
Register of keyholders is being established.
Document identification and retrieval for FOI and Ombudsman queries .
Internal meetings regarding the project (Bray and Greystones).
Gates at both ends of walk continue to be subject of vandalism & repair.

The committee was given an update by Dr Paul Jennings of RPS/Tetratech. He said a further drone survey of the Greystones side of the Walk showed that further cracking of the land was evident.

This was particularly so at a point where the soft clay on the Greystones side met the rock of Bray Head itself. While the land was dry now, there was poor surface drainage which led to erosion and, because of dense vegetation below the path, it was not possible to see clearly the extent of this.

“The path is still effected by land sliding . . . and this is going to carry on and on,” he said.

On the question of examining the Bray Head rockface by abseiling down ropes to see whether further rock falls were likely, and what remedial action might be taken, Dr Jennings said the Parks and Wildlife Service were due to meet today (May 27th) to consider whether there were any environmental and/or regulatory implications to such an examination.
He was hopeful that, in the absence of any such blockage, the rockface survey could happen soon, possibly by July.
“The feeling is that it should move forward quite quickly,” he said.

At the suggestion of community representative, Bray businessman Eugene Finnegan, RPS/Tetratech had been asked previously to examine the feasibility of installing a stairway access to and from the Cliff Walk, at the north end of the North Beach.

They would be located on the beach approximately a kilometre away from the Greystones Harbour Marina.

Dr Jennings produced a photograph on which a notional route of a stairway had been imposed. The land at the lower part of such a stairway, immediately above the beach shingle, was a mix of soft soil and rock face he said.
Above this was a flat surface that was part of the original but long abandoned railway line and, above that, further elevation to the existing Walk. To the south of the notional stairway route were deep gullies and Dr Jennings said this area would have to be avoided.

He said that if steps were to be installed, rock armour and a concrete platform would be necessary on the North Beach at the foot of the steps. The total height of such a stairway would be 58 meters but the lower steps would be inaccessible at high tide.

He estimated the cost of creating such a stairway would be about €249,000, with an additional possible €100,000 for Vat and other addon costs, with design taking about one year and various consents taking a further two years to obtain.
In the lively discussion that ensued, he said that were such a stairway access to the Cliff Walk to be created at the north end of the North Beach, he would advise that a large warning sign was erected at the southern end of the beach alerting walkers about tidal dangers.

Mr Finnegan, an enthusiastic supporter of the stairway idea, likened it to what he had seen at Mizen Head and said installing one on the Cliff Walk would ensure it remained a coastal walk. It could be spectacular, he suggested.

Councillor Stephen Stokes (Independent) said that Mizen Head was “one of Ireland’s best kept secrets”. He wondered whether, given the projected cost of the steps, the Council could not do both the steps and move the path inland.
Councillor Mark Barry (Social Democrat) asked were there any concerns about accessing the steps along the length of the shingle beach? That was when Dr Jennings mentioned the large warning sign.

District Engineer Cullen said that landowner consent was the fastest way to get the Cliff Walk reopened. He said that if rock armour was put onto the North Beach to protect steps, the effect over time would be, as could be seen south of Greystones, the beach itself was washed away.

Councillor Malachí Duddy (Independent) wondered whether, tactically from the Council’s point of view, it would be useful for landowners to know of the steps option and that there was therefore an alternative to a land deal with them.
Ms Carroll said that, with the steps proposal, as a local authority they would “have to factor in the accessibility issue”. Mr Finnegan noted that the Cliff Walk was “not wheelchair accessible now”.

Alison Banton (Greystones business representative) asked Dr Jennings about potential Dart closures during abseil examination of the rock face. There were bank holiday “no Darts to Greystones” days scheduled she said and these had a hugely negative impact on local businesses.

Dr Jennings replied that RPS/Tetratech were “subservient” to Irish Rail plans but sought to reassure her that “we will work around them”.

Councillor Louise Fenelon Gaskin said it was great to hear that progress was being made with landowners. The suggestion of the steps showed vision, good vision as to how the Cliff Walk might be in the future and she was encouraged by the discussion.