A small community just by the main road through Strathmore, Meigle is strongly associated with the Picts, the long-vanished people of north and east Scotland who actually pre-dated the Scots.

Meigle sits amid the rolling fields in the broad valley, overlooked by the Sidlaw Hills to the south and the main Highland massif to the north. Experts believe that the area around Meigle was once an important Pictish centre.

Evidence for this is found in what was the old village schoolhouse. For more than a hundred years it has been the display place for one of the most important collections of Pictish carved stones to be found anywhere in Scotland.

Each one of the stones is different – and many can be interpreted in a variety of ways. For instance, is the impressive stone with the carving of a woman surrounded by four lions depicting the Biblical Daniel in the lions’ den?  Or is it, as some think, a representation of King Arthur’s wife Guinivere, who met her end when devoured by wild beasts? Fascinating symbolism and an insight into the skills of these long-vanished tribes.

Meigle is an excellent touring base with a lot of options – the city of Dundee, for example, is only 11 miles away, while also within easy distance is the royal castle of Glamis. Associated with the late Queen Mother’s childhood, the castle has been the home of the Earls of Strathmore for six centuries.