Bray Head (Irish: Ceann Bhré) is a 241 m (791 ft) hill and headland located in northern County Wicklow, Ireland, between the towns of Bray and Greystones. It forms part of the Wicklow Mountains and is a popular spot with hillwalkers. At the top of the head is a concretecross which was placed there in 1950 during the holy year. Every Good Friday, hundreds of local people climb to the top of the head in a Good Friday procession marking the stations of the Cross as they go along, with the final station being held at the holy year cross.[1] The headland and adjacent lands were designated under a Special Amenity Area Order in March 2008.[2]
Bray Head
Ceann Bhré
South side of Bray Head, viewed from Greystones harbour
The most direct way to reach the cross at the top (about 190m above sea level) is via an ascending footpath that begins just outside the free car park on the lower, northern slopes, to the south of Bray Esplanade. This is a half-hour walk for a fit person. The footpath, after the initial section with cut steps, is a rough path formed by rainwater and ascending through natural woodland. A more gradual route can be taken from the Southern Cross, by Bray Golf Club, which is easier underfoot. There is also a route which ascends from the Greystones side of the cliff walk; this route leads quite directly up the east side of the hill and as a result is quite steep, Upon reaching the top you can then walk the path along to the cross.
The Dublin-Wicklow railway line runs outside of Bray Head along the coast, sometimes travelling within feet of the cliffs. This line, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is referred to as Brunel's Folly, due to the ongoing maintenance costs associated with maintaining a cliff-face line. The line had to be diverted on three occasions in 1876, 1879, and 1917.[3] A serious accident occurred on 9 August 1867 when a passenger train derailed on nearby Brandy Hole Viaduct, causing the deaths of two passengers.[4] The rail trip between Dublin and Bray Daly railway station, the nearest station to Bray Head, takes approximately 45 minutes.
On the morning of 14 April 2012, a waterspout was observed just off the coast of Bray Head.[5]
The slate sea-cliffs at Bray Head have been established as a minor rock-climbing location since the 1970s, though a few of the climbs were originally recorded in the 1940s. The 2009 guidebook lists 27 single-pitch climbs, generally in the lower grades, up to HVS.[6][7]
bray, head, irish, ceann, bhré, hill, headland, located, northern, county, wicklow, ireland, between, towns, bray, greystones, forms, part, wicklow, mountains, popular, spot, with, hillwalkers, head, concrete, cross, which, placed, there, 1950, during, holy, y. Bray Head Irish Ceann Bhre is a 241 m 791 ft hill and headland located in northern County Wicklow Ireland between the towns of Bray and Greystones It forms part of the Wicklow Mountains and is a popular spot with hillwalkers At the top of the head is a concrete cross which was placed there in 1950 during the holy year Every Good Friday hundreds of local people climb to the top of the head in a Good Friday procession marking the stations of the Cross as they go along with the final station being held at the holy year cross 1 The headland and adjacent lands were designated under a Special Amenity Area Order in March 2008 2 Bray HeadCeann BhreSouth side of Bray Head viewed from Greystones harbourHighest pointElevation243 m 797 ft Coordinates53 11 25 90 N 6 05 03 00 W 53 1905278 N 6 0841667 W 53 1905278 6 0841667GeographyBray HeadWicklow Republic of IrelandParent rangeWicklow Mountains The most direct way to reach the cross at the top about 190m above sea level is via an ascending footpath that begins just outside the free car park on the lower northern slopes to the south of Bray Esplanade This is a half hour walk for a fit person The footpath after the initial section with cut steps is a rough path formed by rainwater and ascending through natural woodland A more gradual route can be taken from the Southern Cross by Bray Golf Club which is easier underfoot There is also a route which ascends from the Greystones side of the cliff walk this route leads quite directly up the east side of the hill and as a result is quite steep Upon reaching the top you can then walk the path along to the cross The Dublin Wicklow railway line runs outside of Bray Head along the coast sometimes travelling within feet of the cliffs This line designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel is referred to as Brunel s Folly due to the ongoing maintenance costs associated with maintaining a cliff face line The line had to be diverted on three occasions in 1876 1879 and 1917 3 A serious accident occurred on 9 August 1867 when a passenger train derailed on nearby Brandy Hole Viaduct causing the deaths of two passengers 4 The rail trip between Dublin and Bray Daly railway station the nearest station to Bray Head takes approximately 45 minutes On the morning of 14 April 2012 a waterspout was observed just off the coast of Bray Head 5 The slate sea cliffs at Bray Head have been established as a minor rock climbing location since the 1970s though a few of the climbs were originally recorded in the 1940s The 2009 guidebook lists 27 single pitch climbs generally in the lower grades up to HVS 6 7 Contents 1 Gallery 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksGallery edit nbsp The Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk nbsp The railway along the cliffs of Bray Head with traces of the old alignment nbsp The Holy Year Cross on summit of Bray Head nbsp Bray Head railway accident 1867 nbsp Bray Head in flames 2018See also editGeography of IrelandReferences edit Morgan Ilaw 2 October 2015 Bray Head Holy Year Cross DBS Irish Studies O Brien Tim 14 March 2008 Bray Head gets special status after 15 year campaign The Irish Times Archived from the original on 24 March 2012 Retrieved 30 August 2008 Bray Head Eiretrains Retrieved 23 January 2018 W Yolland 20 August 1867 Letter to the Bord of Trade Railway Department PDF Patrick Counihan 15 April 2012 Freak water tornado hits Wicklow coastal town of Bray IrishCentral Bray Head Irish Climbing Online Wiki Retrieved 23 November 2020 Joe Lyons ed 2009 Wicklow Rock Climbing Guide Mountaineering Ireland ISBN 978 0 902940 23 9External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bray Head Essay on Bray Head Bray Head on Irelandscape Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bray Head amp oldid 1181675808, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
