Greystones Café Urges Action as Cliff Walk and DART Closures ‘Hit Hard’
Greystones Café Urges Action as Cliff Walk and DART Closures ‘Hit Hard’
Words: Hannah Lemass
The Fat Fox in Greystones, a beloved coffee shop and drive-thru, has taken to their Instagram to appeal to Wicklow County Council and Irish Rail to take action to help the town.
The iconic Greystones Cliff Walk has been closed since March 2021, costing an estimated €73 million to the economy.
The trail, which was one of the most popular walks on the east coast, was closed after around 14 metres of boulder clay fell into the sea. The closure was supposed to be temporary, but more than four years later, locals and visitors are beyond frustrated. Businesses have been hit hard as traffic to the area is greatly reduced. The owner of The Fat Fox Claire Cullen told The Irish Times that she reckons it’s costing them around 500 customers a week.
On top of the blow from the Cliff Walk closure, they face even more disruption. The DART has not been running to Greystones over the bank holiday weekends and this weekend it will be shut down too, cutting off the seaside town during a heatwave that would usually see a big uptake in trade for local businesses.
They have a loyal following of regulars, but they also rely on visitors, so when the main access method is down, footfall drops off and the town feels the effects. They are asking their followers to join their call and reach out to local councillors, politicians, and businesses to ask for support and to find a resolution to the issues.
