Stapleford Parish Pit LGS

The site is a disused quarry with a very visible exposure of Chalk strata of the New Pit Chalk Formation, of which there are few good exposures in the county. The New Pit Chalk lies above the highest Chalk at Cherry Hinton East Pit (the Holywell Nodular Chalk). This is one of a few exposures where a nodular hard ground and a marl layer can be seen exposed in a Chalk succession.

The Magogs area tells a very complex palaeogeographic story about the Anglian glaciation and imprinted river systems . The site is an example of many parish pits where Clunch quarrying, endemic in Cambridgeshire, was carried out. It is a popular walking area, being characteristic of the Magog Hills and it is also valued for its chalk flora.

Previously managed by the Friends of Stapleford Parish Pit, it is now owned and managed by the Magog Trust. It is accessible to the public and kept in good condition by the owners. It was designated an LGS in October 2022. Although adjacent to Magog Down, access to Stapleford Parish Pit is not possible from Magog Down. Follow the signpost to Stapleford Pit on Haverhill Road, a,little way south of the Magog Down car park (after the sign to Wandlebury). A grassy track takes you into the Pit.