HIDDEN GEMS : Billa Barra

Hidden Gems is a new feature within Forest Scene where in each issue we will take you around the Forest to reveal the lesser known sites that make this area so special. Our first hidden gem is Billa Barra near Stanton under Bardon.

With views across to Bardon Hill (the highest point in Leicestershire) and far beyond, this stunning site was bought for The National Forest by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council in 1996. Billa Barra is a local nature reserve covering nearly 50 acres and providing a variety of habitats including grassland – ideal for ground nesting birds such as skylarks. The hill, upon which the reserve is set, is also a regionally important geological site due to its rock outcrops of Markfieldite.

In 2003, Barlows, one of the UK’s top ten commercial interior design specialists, sponsored environmental conservation charity Landlife to extend a national wildflower project at Billa Barra. The specially created wildflower seed mixture that was planted creates magical flower-filled meadows on the hillsides every summer.

Billa Barra is open all year for visitors to explore and enjoy. You will find Billa Barra near junction 22 of the M1, off the A511 near the roundabout with the B591. Map ref 469112. Car parking is signed off Cliffe Hill Road.