The Location
Few visitors to Bray Head realise there was once a chairlift here,carrying people from the car park to a
cafe/ ballroom near the top of the hill.
The chair was built in 1950 by Eamonn Quinn (father of Fergal Quinn), who also owned Red Island Holiday
Camp at Skerries. This was a new venture in Ireland and it became an amenity which attracted tourists in
great numbers. It used electric power, but did not operate in strong winds. There were marvellous views
of Bray and the surrounding area. Safety was paramount and during the years of its operation, from 1950
to 1970, there was never a serious incident.
At the upper end of the chair-lift on Bray Head was the Eagle's Nest restaurant and ballroom. Every
Tuesday, visitors to the Red Island Holiday Camp were given a day out to Bray, including a ride on the
chair-lift to the Eagle's Nest Cafe for lunch. The ballroom did well in the summer evenings. Top show
bands were featured and,together with the Arcadia ballroom in Bray, it was a favourite venue for dancers.
Today there is very little evidence left of this, but if you look closely at the given car park co-ords you can
see where the chairlift started.
The Cache
This is a letter box hybrid. There is a stamp in the cache so you can stamp your books, however you will need to bring your own pad. Please do not remove the stamp. If you have your own stamp please add it to the log book.
Getting there:
If you park at the given co-ords, exit the car park and and follow the track through the old golf course until you reach the church. Behind the church there is a slightly overgrown path, follow this and you should arrive at the given co-ordinates at the base of some stairs.
From here you need to rely on your navigation skills. The cache is 111m away, at a bearing of 124°.
You can reach it by climbing the stairs.
The cache is located at what used to be the top of the old chairlift, sadly not looking very good today.
