Snow on the Hills.

We walked Merlin around the site of the bing, long since removed for ballast on some road building project. I don’t remember ever seeing the pit-head here, although we did know some people who had worked in the coal mine, which was known as The Moat, and closed in 1969; but we do remember the brick kiln that operated in conjunction with the mine; we think that was dismantled about twenty years ago. Parts of this area were fenced off as there was a danger of the ground collapsing into the mine shafts but all the associated land was made safe and turned into a wildlife sanctuary. Apart from the safety aspect, it would probably have been better left alone as Nature had already colonised the bing very effectively and I have vivid memories of a grown man in tears because the beautiful landscape where he walked his dog had been destroyed; however, it now has a certain amount of charm, just not an awful lot of it, and Jnr regretted the loss of his favourite sledging hill.
 
For those not familiar with the term, “bing” is a Scottish word for a spoil heap, usually associated with mining activities.