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 junction with the A897, and has a railway station on the Far North Line. Buses run roughly every 2 hours Mondays-Saturdays and very sporadically 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 railway station. Old Helmsdale is immediately to the north while East Helmsdale is a settlement barely a mile to the east. Helmsdale is a fishing port at the estuary of the River Helmsdale, and was when the home of one of the largest herring fleets in Europe. The river itself is well known for its fishing. Helmsdale Castle, the remains of which were destroyed in the 1970s in order to build the brand-new A9 road bridge, was the site of the murder of the 11th Earl of Sutherland in 1567. The Earl and his Countess Marie Seton were poisoned by Isobel Sinclair. The modern village was set out in 1814 to resettle groups that had actually been gotten rid of from the surrounding straths as part of the Highland Clearances. Facilities in Helmsdale include things like an independent hostel, a culture centre, an art gallery, and an inn. Helmsdale is famous for its Highland Games which are run on the third Saturday in August annually. Best known is the evening Marquee Dance when the village population of 700 more than doubles thanks to visitors going to the dance. Helmsdale is additionally the home of Bunillidh Thistle F.C. and Helmsdale United. For all your home refurbishments, make certain to find trustworthy professionals in Helmsdale to make certain of quality.