The beach
Brittas Bay (Cuan an Bhriotáis) is a long stretch of soft, pale sand on the Irish Sea, backed by a dune system. 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 early in the morning, and you can have a long stretch of it to yourself.
Choose a beach entrance
Brittas Bay North and Brittas Bay South are two entrances to the same sandy stretch of coast, each with its own car park. Use the car park for the entrance you want and check the gate times and charges before leaving the car. Both beaches received Blue Flags in 2026. There is no barrier between the two, so you can walk the full length of the sand. 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 bay is part of the Buckroney–Brittas Dunes and Fen Special Area of Conservation, and the dunes are the reason to slow down rather than just spread a towel. 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. Use the marked paths from the car parks through the dunes to the beach: the marram is what holds the whole system together, and feet churning up a slope undo years of it. And if you are bringing a dog, read the council’s beach bye-laws and follow the signs at the entrance.
Swimming and the water
Check Wicklow County Council’s bathing and lifeguard information and the signs and flags on the beach before you go in. Swim between the flags when lifeguards are on duty. 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 path.
Beach wheelchair
The council’s free beach wheelchair service runs in summer. Call 0404 20236 to book ahead. Bring an assistant to help transfer into the chair and push it, and bring photo ID when collecting it.
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.
Getting there and facilities
The R750 runs parallel to the dunes. Public transport is limited, so check current bus and rail options before relying on it. Facilities vary by entrance and season, so bring water and food, and take any non-recyclable litter home.
Nearby
- Avondale Forest Park, inland, with a treetop canopy walk and a viewing tower over the Avonmore valley.
- Wicklow Gaol, a preserved 19th-century prison; check its website before travelling, as it is currently closed.
- National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh, with rhododendrons and conifers.
- Golfers can drive to the European Club near Ardanary, a links course looking out over the bay.