The Cliff Walk Is Closed: Here Are the Open Walks Instead

If you have read about the Bray-to-Greystones Cliff Walk, the coastal path that hugged the foot of Bray Head between the two towns, here is the thing to know first: it is closed, and it has been since 2021. Repeated landslides made it unsafe, and the reopening timeline runs to around three more years as of 2026. It is closed from both ends, so do not go looking for a way around the barriers from the Greystones side. The cliffs above the old path are exactly the problem.

The good news is that the area is full of open walks. For the headland views, the Bray Head Loop is the standing alternative: an open route up over Bray Head with views back across Greystones, the marina, and the bay. It is steeper and more exposed than the old coast path, so wear proper footwear and bring a layer. For something flat and easy, walk south from South Beach on the Kilcoole coastal path, a level shoreline route to the BirdWatch Ireland reserve and its Little Tern colony, with an easy return by train.

Inland, the Glen of the Downs off the N11 has a signposted woodland loop of around 3.6km through native sessile-oak woodland up to a viewpoint over the glen, the best walk in the trees near the town. And if your plan was really just to get between Greystones and Bray, the DART covers that hop in a few minutes; Bray is one stop north. None of these is the cliff path, but they are open, they are honest, and between them they cover everything the old walk used to.