The two easiest visits to a plot are the ones that tell you the least. Weekday afternoon site visits are optimised for the developer's convenience; late-night drive-throughs tell you nothing at all.

The visit that matters is a golden-hour one. Arrive an hour before sunset. Walk the perimeter in the dropping light. Watch where the wind actually comes from. See which neighbours' windows are lit. Notice whether the light reaches your eventual living-room orientation or if the ridge behind you eats it in a half hour.

A weekend home is a golden-hour object more than an afternoon one. Buy the land in the hour it will earn back on.