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 run about 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 on the river from the main village above the railway station. Old Helmsdale is directly 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 one of the most extensive 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 develop the new A9 road bridge, was the location 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 been gotten rid of from the surrounding straths as part of the Highland Clearances. Facilities in Helmsdale contain an independent youth hostel, a heritage centre, an art gallery, and an inn. Helmsdale is legendary for its Highland Games which are held on the 3rd Saturday in August annually. Best known is the evening Marquee Dance when the village population of 700 more than doubles as a result of visitors participating in the dance. Helmsdale is also home to Bunillidh Thistle F.C. and Helmsdale United. For all of your home refurbishments, be sure to identify trusted contractors in Helmsdale to make certain of quality.