Things to see and do

The name Helmsdale means Dale of the Helmet and comes from Ancient Norse.  

In 1814 the village was planned for locals affected by the Highland clearances to provide a farming and fishing community.  The Duke of Sutherland at the time was clearing large areas of the county to make way for sheep and it was considered an alternative to being shipped to another part of the world.  In memorial to this history there is an Emigrants statue at the entrance to Helmsdale.

In the late 19th century Helmsdale quickly became a busy herring port, in fact one of the busiest in Europe.  During the Scottish herring boom there were over 200 boats working from the harbour. Today the harbour still works but on a much reduced scale.

The new bridge opened in 1970 at the same time as the demise of Helmsdale Castle, but the original two arch stone bridge built by Thomas Telford in 1811 is still functioning and crosses River Helmsdale at the inlet end of the village main street.

Timespan Art & Museum Centre is a recent addition to Helmsdale with a museum showing Helmsdale's past, a gallery showcasing local, national and international artists, a cafe overlooking the river garden and a gift shop. 

Dunrobin Street

Helmsdale

Sutherland

KW8 6JA

Tel: 01431 821327

https://timespan.org.uk/

Scotland had its own very gold rush which started in 1818 when a large nugget of gold large enough to produce a ring was found.  This ring remains in the Duke of Sutherland's family.  Fifty years later from when it was found, in 1868, Robert Gilchrist, a local man, found significant quantities of gold in two tributaries of the Helmsdale River, the Kildonan Burn and the Suisgill Burn.   To this day it is possible to go gold panning by hiring gold panning equipment from the Strath Ullie Craft & Visitor Centre by the Harbour in Helmsdale. 

The counties of Sutherland and Caithness offer many interesting places to visit - please click through on this link for more information.

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