Drumshoreland Bing comprises two parts, situated to the north and south of an unclassified road to the east of Pumpherston and south of Roman Camp in West Lothian. It has a total footprint of 33 ha (81.5 acres) and reaches a height of 61m (200 feet) above the surrounding landscape (180m / 591 feet above sea level) with a relatively flat plateau-like top. Its steep slopes are remarkably stable, owing to the mixed size of the shale substrate.
Abandoned in 1925, this bing is one of a number in the area which serve as a reminder of the oil shale industry pioneered in 1858 by James Young (1811-83). The shale was heated in one of several local oil works to extract oil and paraffin and the waste material formed the bing. Later the burnt shale or blaes was extracted as a low-grade fill material for the construction industry, as hardcore for roads, to surface tennis courts and running tracks. The bing was subsequently reshaped and stabilised.
