The beach
Brittas Bay (Cuan an Bhriotáis) is four kilometres of soft, pale sand on the Irish Sea, backed by a dune system covering close to 100 hectares, one of the largest on the east coast. It sits about 40 km south of Dublin and 12 km south of Wicklow town, which is exactly why it fills up: on a hot Sunday in July, half of Dublin seems to be parked behind the dunes. Come on a weekday, or before 10am, and you can have a long stretch of it to yourself.
The sand is informally split into North and South, each with its own car park, toilets and summer lifeguards, but there’s no barrier between them, so you can walk the full length uninterrupted, about an hour end to end. Both sections have held a Blue Flag for years. If you do one thing here, walk from one car park towards the other early in the morning, when the light is low and the dunes are quiet.
The dunes
The dunes behind the beach are a designated Special Area of Conservation, and they’re the reason to slow down rather than just spread a towel. Almost 100 hectares of marram grass, sand-fen and coastal grassland shelter plants that are genuinely rare in Ireland, the violet Pyramidal Orchid and the small, pale Dune Pansy among them, and the flowers bring butterflies, including the Dark Green Fritillary and the Little Blue. Rabbits and foxes work the grasses; wading birds feed along the shore.
Two things follow from the protected status. Keep to the marked paths through the dunes: the marram is what holds the whole system together, and feet churning up a slope undo years of it. And keep dogs off entirely from May to September; the rest of the year they’re allowed on a lead.
Surfing and the water
The Irish Sea here throws up manageable, forgiving waves, good for learning and rarely dramatic. Brittas Bay Surf School, the first dedicated surf school on Ireland’s east coast, sets up between the North and South car parks and runs group lessons, private coaching, stand-up paddleboarding and kids’ camps through the season, with gear hire on site. Lifeguards patrol both beaches through the summer bathing season, roughly June to September.
Food nearby
Options are thin on the ground, which is part of the appeal. The Bay Café, a five-minute drive inland, does coffee, pastries and light lunches Tuesday to Sunday, 8.30am–3.30pm. The Elephant & Castle near the beach has served pub food and American-style plates for years, but recent visitors have found it shut, so it’s worth checking it’s open before you count on it. Otherwise, bring a flask and a sandwich.
History and film
There was a Christian settlement at nearby Three-Mile-Water before St Patrick, presided over by Palladius, whom Rome sent to Ireland in 431 AD, and the monks Sylvester and Solinus. St Baoithin later ran a monastery in the area, and one of his pupils was St Kevin, who went on to found Glendalough.
The better story is a thousand years newer. In the 17th century a secluded cove called Jack’s Hole was the base for Captain Jack White, a smuggler who intercepted British merchant ships and ran French goods ashore past the Crown’s customs men; the crossroads still carries his name. The dunes have stood in for other worlds on screen, too. John Boorman shot part of Zardoz here in 1974, and the beach turns up in the 2002 Count of Monte Cristo and in the History Channel’s Vikings.
Visitor information
- Parking: the North and South car parks each charge €4 a day in summer (roughly May–September), payable in coins, so bring change. Free off-season, and both fill early on sunny weekends.
- Dogs: on a lead from October to May; not allowed on the sand or dunes from May to September.
- Accessibility: a wheelchair-accessible route to the beach runs mid-June to mid-September, but it must be booked in advance through Wicklow County Council.
- Facilities: toilets by each car park; no showers on the beach. Take any non-recyclable litter home.
- Getting there: the R750 runs parallel to the dunes. Public transport is limited: Bus Éireann route 2 (Dublin–Wexford) stops at Jack White’s Cross, and the nearest train is Wicklow town, about a 15-minute drive.
Nearby
- Avondale Forest Park – 25 minutes inland; a treetop canopy walk and a viewing tower over the Avonmore valley.
- Wicklow Gaol – 20 minutes; a preserved 19th-century prison with guided tours.
- National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh – 15 minutes; rhododendrons and conifers across 52 acres.
- Golfers can drive to the European Club near Ardanary, a links course looking out over the bay.
Check the tide tables before a long walk: low tide opens up wide, firm sand, while high tide pushes the water close to the dunes and narrows the safe path.