The panoramas use Apple Quicktime VR and you will need to have Quicktime installed on your computer.

Instructions: Click on the thumbnail to bring up the window then click and drag on the picture to pan the view. Other functions are available on the bar at the bottom of the image frame (zoom in/out) although some images will zoom in more than others. Should you wish, the actual higher resolutions panoramic images are available from the webmaster on request. Go to the bottom of this page for other information.

1.November 2006: Looking south over B9 - B12

This dramatic panorama taken in early November 2006 looks south, down into the heart of the site. These workings around B9 - B12 are some of the deepest on the site at around 40m below ground level and you are looking directly into millions of years of history.

2.November 2005: Area B-B2

The first heavy snow of that winter hit Whitburn resulting in this spectacular scene. The weather does affect what work can be carried out on site but as you can see, some Caterpillar 777s, small diggers and other units soldiered on. The haul road on the right of the panorama joins up with the main haul road which goes down most of the spine of the Polkemmet reclamation scheme leading to other arterial haul roads. The large over-burden mound on the centre-right dominates the scene but in time this will will be dismantled as the coal extraction process heads south.

3.April 2006: Haul road up north side of Bing 3

Panning from a northerly to easterly direction this shot shows, on the right, the newly created haul road up the north side of Bing 3. This haul road was created to allow Minrec to deposit the boulder clay on the summit of the bing. The clay being used to smother outbreaks, should there be any.

4.September 2006: 360° panorama from Bing 1

This full seamless 360 degree panoramic view shows the scale of the opencast site like no other image with about 65% of site visible.. Taken from Bing 1 you can see over Overburden Mound 1A and the flat "ice rink" of B1 & 2 to Cult Farm, area F & E all the way down to the B7066.. In the opposite direction (to the south) is the main part of B cut heading towards Bing 3 on the horizon which is the highest part of the site.

5.December 2005: Looking north from Bing 3

Taken during the festive break from the summit of Bing 3, this frosty vista looks northwest (left) to northeast. Dominating the scene is the peat storage mound which will be used in the golf course construction phase. To the left of the mound is the main haul road for the site and to the left of that is one of the main over-burden (OB) mounds. To the right of the peat mound is the large expanse of area B18 all the way north to B1 and Bing 1. Half way up the picture on the right is the western end of Whitburn.

6.Summer 2005: Looking north from Bing 3

Taken from roughly the same spot of the previous image, but during the summer, much more detail can be seen of the surrounding landscape. The Ochil Hills including Ben Cleuch can be seen in the horizon and other notable features include the red Buildbase depot and the Bathgate Hills on the extreme right.

7.Summer 2005: Looking east from Bing 3

A stunning view from the eastern side of Bing 3 shows so much. Bathgate and the Bathgate Hills behind are to the left and following the horizon to the right you can just see Berwick Law, Edinburgh Castle, Arthur's Seat and the Pentland Hills with the small village of Longridge a little further forward. In the middle of the photo is Kepscaith Farm where the Osiris dust monitor and Zellweger odour monitors are situated.

8.Summer 2005: Looking south from Bing 3

Taken from the top of Bing 3 during the summer of 2005, this view spans southeast (left) to southwest and takes in Longridge, with the Pentland Hills in the background and on the right, Fauldhouse Forest. At the bottom of the picture is the haul road which went round three sides of the bing.

9.Summer 2005: Looking west from Bing 3

Taken from the top of Bing 3 during the summer of 2005, this view spans southwest (left) to northeast and takes in Polkemmet Moor and Fauldhouse Forest. At the bottom of the picture is the main haul road through the site with one of the main over-burden (OB) mounds to the right.

10.December 2005: Looking west from Bing 3 over C10 - C11

Same viewpoint as the previous image but different season. This frosty image was taken between Christmas & New Year. You can see how the forestry has been cut into by area C10 - C11 and most of what can be seen here towards the top of the image will become the Donald Ross Memorial Golf Courses and much of the forestry taken down will be replanted around the courses.

11.2003 when the contractors arrived.

When Minrec arrived in 2003 they brought with them this train of Caterpillar 777Ds. Makes you think of the Baby Elephant song...but only bigger. In the middle of the group is the Bowser, the converted 777D which acts as a water tanker watering down the site so that airborn dust doesn't become a major problem.

12.April 2006: Looking north from Polkemmet Moor towards Hole 5 of golf couse.

Looking north from the edge of Fauldhouse Forest, this image shows the reshaping of Greenrigg Bing to the left which will form part of the dramatic but beautiful landscape of the two golf courses. To the right of the bing is latter half of hole 5 including the green area and then as you move to the right, the tee area of hole 6.

13.March 2006: Hole 5 - West golf course

This image, after a recent fall of snow shows most of hole 5 on the Donald Ross Memorial West Course. Looking westwards the mound in the middle is the reshaped Greenrigg Bing. The area at the right of the picture is where the tee box will be with the fairway running along the bottom of the picture to the left where (not fully in view) will be the green.

14.October 2006: Looking northeast towards Bing 3

This panorama looks north to northeast over Bing 3. The southwest corner of the bing has been removed and buried deep below ground at the base of the bing to the left in the picture. The contractors then remove the coal under that corner of the bing creating a void. Moving on they will remove the centre portion of the west wing of the bing and bury that in the previously created void and so on. What is interesting is the variety of colours seen, from the bright orange around the crust of the bing to the dark grey inside the heart of the bing..

15.February 2006: Looking east from Bing 3.

This panorama taken with a zoom lens looks east to southeast from the top of Bing 3. The major features of this photos are The 5 Sisters Bings just outside West Calder. The bings are well known landmark in West Lothian and have graced many a calendar over the years. Unlike Bing 3, they will remain a feature of the skyline away into the future. In the background the Pentland Hills and the fringe of the Southern Uplands show just how scenic the views will be from the Donald Ross Memorial Golf Courses.

16.February 2006: Looking north from Bing 3

Taken from Bing 3, this panoramic zoom shows the small village of Blackridge to the bottom left of the photo with the imposing Ochils in the background.

17.February 2007: Looking north over the site from Bing 3

A similar image to No.6 but over a year later. The difference is that the area to the west of the peat mound has been excavated, mined, backfilled and brought back up to pre-coaling levels. To the centre of the image to the north you can see just how much work has been carried out around the B cuts.

18.February 2007: Looking east over Area F

This image looks over the completed Area F, one of the few parts of the site visible from a main road. As one of the first areas to be processed, it has been mined, backfilled, compacted and seeded. It is as if Minrec were never here!

19.February 2007: Looking south over Bing 1 with Bing 3 on the horizon.

The major feature to the left of the image is the dismantling of Bing 1. Much of this bing will be processed to get suitable material for use on the golf courses. To the right of the bing you see into the heart of the B cut as is heads south. Some of the deepest mining, up to 40m below surface has occured in that area. In the background on the horizon is Bing 3. The machine in the foreground is a Caterpillar 16H motor grader. Like a woodworking plane the 16H moves along shaving away the terrain to create a level surface.

20.February 2007: Full view of Bing 3 from the south.

This panoramic image looks north onto Bing 3. Most of the western end has now been removed with about 23% of the bing excavated and placed deep underground. The triangular shape in the middle is the boulder clay mound used to blanket any "hot spots" should there be any.

The Quicktime player is a free download from Apple at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html (Apple users will already have it installed)

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