Walks by Bus/Rail - Bray Head Walk

A stunning two hour clifftop walk from Greystones to Bray, mostly along a well marked path, with great views across the Irish Sea.

Suitable for most people, but children with caution.

BASIC INFO

This walk involves taking the bus or train to Greystones, and walking the clifftop path back over Bray Head and down into Bray, from where return can be made by bus or rail. motorists could park on the seafront at Bray, taken the bus or train to Greystones, rejoining their vehicle on the return.

This is a medium to tough walk of around 7 to 8km, along a marked trail, mostly in reasonable condition, but with a few rough patches, and mostly gentle climbing with some steeper bits.

The walk is best done in the direction Greystones to Bray for two reasons: in order to have the sun behind you rather than in your face, and in order to start of in the location with less frequent transport, and end up at a location where the services are frequent, and your arrival time does not need to be exactly planned.

This walk includes some sections where there are unguarded cliffs nearby, and some sections subject to erosion, children should be strictly supervised, and younger children are not advised.

Taking water or supplies is a good idea, as the walk can take from 2 to 3 hours depending on pace and number of stops.

You should leave Greystones at least 3 hours before sunset.

GETTING THERE

Greystones can be reached both by DART rail and bus 84 from Dublin and Bray. The 84 bus is preferred, as it brings you right to the start of the walk, and does not spoil the trip by taking you along the cliffs on the outward trip!

www.dublinbus.ie

Avoid the similarly numbered 184, which serves a different part of Greystones.

If you do come out by train, turn right out of the station, and then right again, and keep walking down towards the harbour.

STARTING POINT

The 84 bus stops right at the seafront in Greystones, beside the beach of grey stones which gave the town its name.

 

THE WALK

Looking towards Bray Head, a laneway runs beside the beach to the local sportsground, and from here the track begins, running at first beside the beach, but gradually getting higher above it as the ground rises. At this stage the railway is off to the left, in a cutting. The track is wide, and runs through grassy land.

 

Although fairly level, this is the section of the walk which gives the most problems to the local authorities, as in winter the rising land is battered by storms and is subject to massive erosion, with whole sections of land being lost into the sea each year. As you travel along the path, you will sometimes be forced to detour inland where older versions of the path can be seen to have vanished on your seaward side. Keep on the inland side of the fences, and be careful with children.

At one point, what used to be the fence alongside the pathway can be seen hanging in midair where the ground was taken from underneath it.

Various notices giving dire warnings about the nature of the erosion and the state of the pathway will be seen from time to time - the old “path closed” notices don’t seem to be removed when newer versions of the path, further inland come into use.

After about 15 minutes you will pass this section, and begin to climb, with the path shielded on both sides by brambles and hedging, and not much view at this point.

After half and hour or so, the vista back towards Greystones will begin to open out behind you as height is gained.

 

At this stage, the railway cannot be seen - it is in fact underneath somewhere, in a tunnel blasted through the rock of the headland.

As you continue to climb, the countryside becomes wilder and less sheltered, with Bray Head close on your left, and a fine view of the Irish Sea on your right.

 

The path will vary in width and condition, from the fairly smooth and wide gravel surface seen in the shot above, to narrower and steeper sections, occasionally with steps.

Gradually, the slope levels out, and you reach the highest point of the walk, with rocky outcrops on the left, and a wall and/orwire fence protecting you from steep cliffs down to the sea on the right.

Continuing on, the path comes to a corner where it turns sharply to the left, with a viewpoint looking straight ahead. From the view you can look directly down two hundred feet or more to where the railway line comes out of its tunnel directly underneath you, you can see the sweep of the path around the hillside to the left, and the railway going under the head again in another tunnel in the distance. To your right you can see rocky outcrops and beaches, and an older railway tunnel, further out to sea, no longer used as the railway line that came out of it collapsed into the sea a hundred years or so ago, neccessitating the moving of the line to its current position and the blasting of new tunnels.

From here it is 10 or 15 minutes walk around the curve of the hillside to the next point of the headland, where you again stand on top of the railway line and can look back in reverse to the other tunnel and viewpoint you have just come from.

Leaving this behind, thepathway, larger now, and still protected from the cliffs on the right by wall and/or wire fencing continues on, slightly downwards, and past some ruined cottages until another corner is turned, and the first sight of Bray is gained.

From here the path slopes ever downward, getting wider and better paved as it descends towards the level of the railway line, which is eventually crossed just before we reach Bray. The approach to Bray is slong a wide concrete paved pathway, leading down to the seafront.

GETTING HOME

Once you come onto the seafront, simply head back along the length of it to where the main road turns left to the railway station, from which frequent DART trains and buses return to Dublin.

There is also a branch of the 45 bus route which leaves from the Esplanade itself, but this is not very frequent.