The Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk remains closed for safety reasons, but work towards reopening it is moving along in the background. That's the gist of Wicklow County Council's latest statement, issued after the Cliff Walk Management Committee met on Tuesday 28 July.
What's happening
The Council and its consultants, Tetra Tech, gave the committee a progress update:
- Bray side — tenders are being reviewed for contractors to carry out detailed slope inspections, with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Iarnród Éireann involved in facilitating them. Ecological surveys are ongoing.
- Greystones side — ecological surveys running since May are continuing (habitats, flora, protected mammals, invasive species and breeding birds), and Tetra Tech is working through options for rerouting the path, along with detailed design and cost estimates.
Why is it all taking so long? The walk sits in a Special Area of Conservation, so extensive environmental assessment is required under the EU Habitats Directive before anything can be built or reopened. Surveys so far have recorded at least 46 species of breeding birds along the route.
No reopening date has been given — the Council says only that it's committed to progressing the project "in the shortest possible timeframe".
What this means for you
If you're used to walking the cliff route between Bray and Greystones, it's still off-limits — and the Council is asking people not to chance it. The statement notes that walkers on a recent charity event allegedly crossed into the closed section, which it flagged as a serious safety concern. An alternative route between the two towns is signposted and available.
Source: Wicklow County Council press statement, 28 July 2026. Details can change — check the official notice for the latest.