Hill forts once dominated the landscape

Hill forts feature regularly on the landscape of the Ochil and Sidlaw hills and a number have been excavated and studied in the past.

Evidence of the small fortifications that once dotted the landscape is visible on many rocky outcroppings above the Tay.

One of the greatest Iron Age seats of power was Moncrieffe Hill, near Perth, from the summit of which chieftains once controlled land for miles around.

The largest of its two hill forts, Moredun Top, once boasted thick stone walls topped by a log palisade, offering a commanding view of the surroundings.

Another seat of power was at Castle Craig, on a large rocky knoll on the lower spur of Craig Rossie, to the south of Auchterarder.

Once thought to have been simply a prehistoric hill fort, excavation revealed the site had been reused and become home to a Pictish fortress.

Some of the volunteers who spent more than 100 hours clearing rhododendron from the summit of King’s Seat near Dunkeld.