Stone of Morphie

A weathered slab of red sandstone standing alone in farmland near Montrose, the Stone of Morphie is one of Aberdeenshire's finest Pictish monuments. What you're looking at is a 7th-century carved stone, elaborately decorated with symbols - horses, crescents, and abstract designs - that tell us something about the people who lived here over 1,300 years ago. The carvings are worn but still visible if the light catches them right, which it does best in the late afternoon.

Getting there requires a bit of effort. The stone sits in a field off the B974, and there's no visitor centre or facilities - you'll need to ask at the nearby farm for access, which locals are usually obliging about. Bring decent walking shoes; it's muddy after rain. Allow 20 minutes to get there and back from your car, plus however long you want to stand about trying to make sense of the symbols. History enthusiasts and anyone interested in Pictish culture will find it genuinely worthwhile. Families with young kids might find it a bit underwhelming unless they're already keen on archaeology.

It's free, obviously, and it works well as part of a broader sweep of the area - St Cyrus Holiday Park sits just 3.3 miles away, so you could easily base yourself there and take a morning walk to see it before heading into Montrose proper for lunch. The stone won't take long, but it's exactly the kind of thing that makes a holiday feel properly exploratory rather than just ticking off main attractions.