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 roughly every 2 hours Mondays-Saturdays and infrequently 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 no more 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 popular for its fishing. Helmsdale Castle, the remains of which were destroyed in the 1970s in order to develop the new A9 road bridge, was the setting 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 planned in 1814 to resettle locals that had been eliminated from the surrounding straths as part of the Highland Clearances. Facilities in Helmsdale consist of an independent youth hostel, a heritage centre, an art gallery, and an inn. Helmsdale is renowned for its Highland Games which are celebrated on the 3rd Saturday in August annually. Best known is the evening Marquee Dance when the village population of 700 more than doubles thanks to visitors being at the dance. Helmsdale is additionally the home of Bunillidh Thistle F.C. and Helmsdale United. For all of your home makeovers, make certain to identify trustworthy professionals in Helmsdale to make certain of quality.
