Helmsdale
Helmsdale is a village on the east coast of Sutherland, in the Highland council area of Scotland. The village is on the A9 road, at a crossroads with the A897, and has a railway station on the Far North Line. Buses operate about every 2 hours Mondays-Saturdays and occasionally on Sundays from Helmsdale to Brora, Golspie, Dornoch, Tain and Inverness in the south and Berriedale, Dunbeath, Halkirk, Thurso and Scrabster in the north. West Helmsdale lies across the river from the main village above the train station. Old Helmsdale is immediately to the north while East Helmsdale is a settlement under a mile to the east. Helmsdale is a fishing port at the estuary of the River Helmsdale, and was once the home of some of the largest herring fleets in Europe. The river itself is known for its fishing. Helmsdale Castle, the remains of which were knocked down in the 1970s in order to create the new A9 road bridge, was the area of the murder of the 11th Earl of Sutherland in 1567. The Earl and his Countess Marie Seton were poisoned by Isobel Sinclair. The present day village was set out in 1814 to resettle groups that had been eliminated from the surrounding straths as part of the Highland Clearances. Facilities in Helmsdale contain an independent hostel, a heritage centre, an art gallery, and an inn. Helmsdale is popular for its Highland Games which are celebrated on the third Saturday in August yearly. Best known is the evening Marquee Dance when the village population of 700 more than doubles thanks to visitors participating in the dance. Helmsdale is also home to Bunillidh Thistle F.C. and Helmsdale United. For all your home renovations, be sure to identify dependable contractors in Helmsdale to make certain of quality.
