Safety Concerns Mount for Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk Following Engineering Report
A recently completed engineering report has highlighted significant safety risks along the popular Bray to Greystones cliff walk in County Wicklow, Ireland. The report, prepared by RPS Group, details multiple areas of hazardous conditions including fractured rock faces and loose stones along the coastal path.
The walk has been partially closed since early 2021, following a landslide.A further rockfall in November 2022 saw three large boulders fall onto the path, prompting increased scrutiny of the route’s stability.
The RPS Group report identifies several locations with existing rock fractures that engineers believe are likely to lead to further instability. The assessment notes widespread evidence of landsliding across the entire cliff slope, stating that “meaningful remediation…would require extensive coastal protection on the foreshore.” In one section, engineers observed conditions suggesting “potential for more failures as a result of adverse intersection of discontinuities.”
Evidence of landslides extending from the path down to the beach below, in some cases over 50 metres, was also documented. The report warns that “such steep faces will collapse over time and undermine the walk.” Concerns were also raised near a railway tunnel running beneath the cliff, where engineers found “a number of large loose and partially detached rock pieces with evidence of large rock fall at the toe of the slope.” Other areas were described as having “potential incipient [developing] rock failure” and rock walls “undermined by up to about one meter.”
The report’s release followed an appeal under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws.
Local Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore emphasized the importance of the cliff walk as both a recreational amenity and an economic driver for County Wicklow. “This makes it a nationally crucial site and Government must provide resources and funding to assess and remediate this walk,” she stated. Whitmore also stressed the importance of public safety, adding, “Though, people’s safety is paramount and if there’s information available that there’s a risk to walkers, it’s critically important that this is made publicly available as soon as possible.”
wicklow County Council confirmed they are currently reviewing the draft report in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann. A council spokeswoman stated, “The draft report is being reviewed by Wicklow County Council and Iarnród Éireann for comment before the final report issues. Next steps [and] actions will be assessed based on the final report findings.”
The Tanaiste, Simon Harris, has previously called for full public access to be restored to the iconic walk.
