Billacombe Railway is located in the south east of Plymouth adjacent to the A379. The site covers 4.2 hectares and is owned and managed by us and is accessible to the public. The site lies at the top of an embankment and consists of the track bed of the disused Plymouth to Yealmpton branch railway.
A variety of habitats are present including, shrubs, exposed rocks and small areas of grassland. The site is designated as a County Wildlife Site because of rich diversity of plants including the nationally scarce pale St John's Wort and five Devon notable plant species including: Pyramidal orchid, Hairy rock-cress, Lesser centaury, Common gromwell
There's also significant invertebrate interest.
https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/parksnatureandgreenspace/countywildlifesites/billacomberailwaycws
https://www.facebook.com/NaturePlymouth/
County Wildlife Sites (CWS) are areas of land that are rich in wildlife such as a tract of heath, a meadow, a copse or a village pond. In general, at least five Devon notable plant species are required for the creation of a CWS but other criteria such as wintering bird interest may be used. For more detailed information on CWS contact Devon Biodiversity Records Centre. Some of our CWS are private with no access, please refer to individual site descriptions for access details.
https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/parksnatureandgreenspace/countywildlifesites
