Broombriggs Farm and Windmill Hill
Selected Wild Place / Other Wild Places / Public Rights of Way / VC55 boundary
Entrance to the farm is located on Beacon Road just before the village.
There is a pay and display car park, which is £2.50 for all day parking. Please note exact money is needed. All proceeds from car parking charges go into the maintenance and upkeep of the country parks.
Bus times for Woodhouse Eaves available on bustimes.org.
- Country Park
Site species count:
Broombriggs Farm and Windmill Hill covers an area of 62 hectares, and is located to the west of Woodhouse Eaves and to the south of Beacon Hill. Broombriggs Farm is a mosaic of small fields enclosed by dry stone walls, hedgerows, fences and woodlands. They are managed to provide permanent pasture for grazing livestock and to grow various arable crops.
The Farm was donated to Leicestershire County Council in 1970 by the Frear family. Their desire was to preserve its natural beauty as a typical Charnwood Forest farm. Today, the farm is still managed in traditional ways which help to retain its varied landscapes and fine views over the surrounding countryside.
Between Broombriggs Farm and the village of Woodhouse Eaves is Windmill Hill. The site is a mix of mature woods and new woodland areas recently planted with waymarked paths as part of The National Forest. A platform giving views over the Soar Valley has been made from the stone base of the former post mill that stood from 1863 until it was destroyed by fire in 1945.
The higher elevations of the site support acid grassland and scrub similar to that seen in Beacon Hill nearby. Reptiles such as Slow-worm and Common Lizard have been recorded. The area is good for fungi and the many dry-stone walls support a good range of lichen and mosses. Water-cress grows in the lower fields where water flows.
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