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 junction with the A897, and has a train station on the Far North Line. Buses operate about every 2 hours Mondays-Saturdays and rarely 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 directly 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 once the home of some of the leading herring fleets in Europe. The river itself is famous for its fishing. Helmsdale Castle, the remains of which were knocked down in the 1970s in order to develop 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 set out in 1814 to resettle locals that had actually been cleared away from the surrounding straths as part of the Highland Clearances. Facilities in Helmsdale include an independent youth hostel, a culture centre, an art gallery, and an inn. Helmsdale is renowned for its Highland Games which are held on the 3rd 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 going to the dance. Helmsdale is additionally home to Bunillidh Thistle F.C. and Helmsdale United. For all of your home improvements, make certain to find respected contractors in Helmsdale to make certain of quality.
