West Pit is a 4.3 hectare Local Nature Reserve in

Cherry Hinton Cherry Hinton is a village and electoral ward in Cambridge, England. As of the 2021 UK census, the ward's population was 9,343 people. History The rectangular parish of Cherry Hinton occupies the western corner of Flendish hundred on the ...

, on the south-eastern outskirts of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. It is part of the Cherry Hinton Pit biological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI), which includes the neighbouring East Pit. This former chalk quarry is now steeply sloping woodland with a caravan park in the centre. The woodland has been designated an SSSI due to the presence of a plant on the British

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

, the moon carrot. The site has been designated a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) by

Cambridge City Council Cambridge City Council is the local authority for Cambridge, a non-metropolitan district with city status in the United Kingdom, city status in Cambridgeshire, England. The council has been under Labour Party (UK), Labour majority control since ...

, which shows it as one LNR and East Pit and Limekiln Close as another LNR. However, the LNRs are confused on the

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

website. One is shown as Limekiln Close and West Pit on the details page, but the map only covers Limekiln Close. The other LNR is shown on the details page as East Pit, whereas the map covers both East and West Pits. There is access to the site from the entrance to the caravan park on Limekiln Road.

References

{{Local Nature Reserves in Cambridgeshire Local Nature Reserves in Cambridgeshire