The Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk is still closed, but the project moved a step forward at the Management Committee's meeting on Monday 1 September. The tender process for a rope access contractor — the specialists who will abseil the cliff face to inspect the unstable slopes — has finished, and a preferred contractor has been identified, pending formal appointment.
This follows on from July's update, when those inspections were still out to tender.
What's happening
Consultants Tetra Tech presented progress to the committee:
- Rope access inspections — methodology, safe systems of work, method statements and risk assessments are being prepared now. The proposed start date for the works is mid to late September, subject to the contractor being formally appointed.
- Ecological surveys — summer surveys, which began on 8 May, are complete on both the Bray and Greystones sides. Winter bird surveys start in October, with landowners' consent on the Greystones side.
- Iarnród Éireann — talks about working near the railway line are ongoing and detailed.
- Greystones side — work continues on selecting and designing possible inland routes, which brings its own planning, environmental assessment and engineering design. The committee asked for a flowchart setting out the critical path for that side of the project.
Landowners are said to be engaging positively and facilitating access to the lands involved.
Committee chairperson Councillor Erika Doyle acknowledged the frustration at how long the closure has run, but pointed out that much of the walk sits within or beside a Special Area of Conservation, with several sections identified as at risk of failure — so any fix has to clear environmental, ecological and planning requirements under both EU and Irish law before it can happen.
Still no reopening date. The Council repeated that it's committed to progressing the project "in the shortest possible timeframe", and nothing more specific than that.
What this means for you
Nothing changes on the ground for now: the Cliff Walk remains closed on safety grounds, and the signposted alternative route between Bray and Greystones is the way to go. If you're walking in the area later this month, expect to see contractors and rope access crews working on the cliff face.
Source: Wicklow County Council update, 2 September 2026. Details can change — check the official notice for the latest.