Within sight of the Balblair Distillery, on the ancient plain of Eadar Dun – which gave its name to the local village of Edderton – lies a great symbol stone, the Clach Biorach, meaning 'the sharp stone'.

Erected over four millennia ago by a race now lost to history, the stone is aligned against the surrounding hills to plot the passing of the seasons and to mark the key festivals in the ancient calendar. Standing over 10 feet tall, it is a timeless testament to the people who raised it against the brooding backdrop of the Ardross Hills.

It is clear that this ancient race had knowledge of the stars and planets, for the stone aligns with the surrounding hills to mark the seasons. Including, the winter solstice, Bride and Samhain, the spring and autumn equinox, Beltain and Lughnasadh as well as the summer solstice.

Some 2,000 years later a new race, the Picts, arose and brought with them their own beliefs, art and culture.

They engraved the stone with the symbols of the salmon – representing knowledge and second sight – a magical animal to these people as it would safely pass between salt water, fresh water and air.

The other symbol, the Z rod with double disk, which was associated with the Druidic duality of the sun that lights this world by day and the 'other world' by night.

This ancient stone would have been at the heart of the community. Charting the seasons, informing the tribes when to plant and harvest, it represented their gathering place and marked out the Picts of Eadar Dun among the surrounding tribes.

Today, 4,000 years later, people still gather around the stone – in view of the Balblair Distillery – to see the sunlight pour over the Ardross Hills, marking the summer solstice.