You Shall Not Pass Without A Little Climb

We came, we sawed, we conquered… Cliff Walk WEDS14JAN26

atest press release from Friends Of The Cliff Walk, issued on Friday, January 16th 2026…

Friends of the Cliff Walk are appalled at the provocative and cynical decision by officials in Wicklow County Council this week to erect a barrier across the start of the Walk.

“We have been contacted by dozens of local people who are equally outraged at the erection of this barrier.

“This is a slap in the face to everyone trying to get the Walk reopened, not least to the Tánaiste Simon Harris. It is a slap in the face to the many volunteers who have worked thousands of man hours to reverse the wilful neglect inflicted on the Walk by the Council. And it is a slap in the face to the very, very many people who support the Friends of the Cliff Walk campaign to get the Walk reopened.

“But we suspect that was exactly the intention. That, and an apparent determination in some quarters to justify their own increasingly threadbare “do nothing” policy.

“The fact that the barrier was put up just three hours before councillors, community representatives and officials were due to meet for the first time to work together, in good faith, to get the Walk reopened in the shortest possible timeframe underscores the cynicism of the move.

“The Cliff Walk, a Public Right of Way, has been closed, without due process, for a full five years with catastrophic economic consequences for local businesses. Local people, and visitors, have been deprived of a treasured asset vital to simple outdoor enjoyment, physical and mental health.

“The entrance to the Cliff Walk now sealed by the barrier had been open for well over a year. During all that time, the Council did not attempt to interfere with people wishing to pass by, much less block their passage.

“But at the very moment when diverse interests, who have not always agreed on the best way forward, were starting to seek solutions, the Council did this.

“The public will judge for themselves the veracity of official protestations about insurance and public safety in the light of this timing and Wicklow County Council’s long, long record of inaction.”

You can check out the full RPS report here, find out more about recent Cliff Walk shenanigans here, explore its history here, and check out Friends of The Cliff Walk here.