For a contrast there is the circle and Pictish stone at Ardlair on an
open, windswept hilltop. Navigate the back roads east to Clatt (three
miles). Head for Kennethmont, then turn left (SE)
down the road towards Auchleven stopping at Ardlair farm. Ask for
permission at the farm to see
the circle. Walk up the slope opposite the farm towards a small
plantation of trees. The circle is
on the right, with its recumbent stone broken and split in past
attempts to destroy it by fire. It is
thought that it had been re-aligned in prehistoric times to adjust to
changing lunar or stellar
observations, which makes you think how long this site must have been
in use. Four other stones
remain standing and there is a superb vista of Tap o' Noth and
Dunnideer. See how many hill
forts you can find on the map and spot from here. About 200 m to the
south-east, over the fence,
beside the trees are two stones perhaps part of another circle. On one
is a faintly visible Pictish
"beastie" and a tuning-fork symbol.