Helmsdale
Helmsdale is a village on the east coast of Sutherland, in the Highland council region of Scotland. The village is on the A9 road, at a crossroads with the A897, and has a train 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 train station. Old Helmsdale is immediately to the north while East Helmsdale is a settlement less than a mile to the east. Helmsdale is a fishing port at the estuary of the River Helmsdale, and was when the home of some of the most extensive herring fleets in Europe. The river itself is known for its fishing. Helmsdale Castle, the remains of which were demolished in the 1970s in order to construct the brand-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 modern-day village was planned 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 an independent hostel, a heritage centre, an art gallery, and an inn. Helmsdale is renowned for its Highland Games which are held on the third Saturday in August each year. Best known is the evening Marquee Dance when the village population of 700 more than doubles as a result of visitors visiting the dance. Helmsdale is also the home of Bunillidh Thistle F.C. and Helmsdale United. For all of your home makeovers, be sure to find trustworthy contractors in Helmsdale to make certain of quality.
