In West Lothian 15miles (24km) southwest of Edinburgh the red peaks of the Five Sisters rise above the soft green landscape.
The peaks of rose-gold gravel which are bound together by grass and moss have the appearance of a Martian Mountain range but are in fact spoil heaps.
The Five Sisters are all that remains of the oil industry which for some 60 years from the 1860’s extracted oil from the shale beds in the area.
The Scottish Government in 1995 recognised the industrial significance of this landmark by making it a Scheduled Monument.
Source: “Islands of Abandonment: Life in the post industrial landscape” by Cal Flyn (ISBN: 978-0-00-8329080-8
The Five Sisters
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