#forteviot

This tiny and picturesque village has great historical importance for Scotland. Even though today’s buildings, save the parish church, are from the 1920s, underneath the village are the remains of the 9th Century Pictish royal palace of Kenneth MacAlpin, who died here in 860AD, as well as a royal tomb from the early Bronze Age (around 2000BC). The parish church was built in 1778 and houses some historical Pictish items. We visited it during Doors Open Day and were able to see some original Pictish stones on display. To celebrate this historical connection and Forteviot’s status as an early Christian site, a new Pictish cross was commissioned with stone-carver David McGovern and unveiled in the centre of the village in 2018. 

Four-masted bark FORTEVIOT at anchor in Commencement Bay, Tacoma, Washington, ca. 1904 Wilhelm Hester

Snowy Strathearn The view driving south-west along the A9 just above Forteviot is quite a treat - an open expanse of Strathearn with the river and road flowing through the landscape, bounded on the south by the Ochil hills.

The incredible discoveries already made in and around the structure are believed to date from very first contact between the Picts and the Roman Empire. They reveal evidence of trade between the two peoples from the outset, with a variety of high-value items from the continent drawn from the earth. Read more.