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Helmsdale is a Village 69 miles north of
Inverness, 51 miles south of John O
Groats on the northeast coast of Scotland,
on the North Coast 500 driving route. The
village was laid out by the Sutherlands from
1814, partly to house Crofters they were
forcing off their land.
Helmsdale is popular for the Emigrants
Statue at the south entrance to the village,
Multisports Centre, Timespan local history
museum, Salmon Fishing, and walking on the Old
Road with Hairpin Bends 2 miles north.
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Click on Map for area Attractions
Camping & Touring Parks in
area
The top image right shows the Helmsdale
Emigrants Statue at the south side of the
Village by the new Bridge.
The Statue is in Cooper Park, erected on
2007, made by the sculpture Gerald Laing, paid
for by a local named Dennis MacLeod, a Crofters
son who made a fortune in Gold Mines in South
Africa.
Crofters from this area were forced off
their land by the Sutherlands
from 1813, some moving to Helmsdale for Fishing
with others emigrating to Canada and America in
search of Land to farm.
The Multisports Centre is at the north end
of the New Bridge with football, tennis,
basketball and many other sports.
The Timespan Museum
is a short walk along Shore Street by the Old
Bridge and War Memorial, giving information on
the Clearances, Fishing and other Local
History.
The War Memorial was built in 1924, there is
an Ice House from the early 1800s below the
Memorial for preserving Salmon, with the River
Helmsdale claimed to be one of the top Salmon Rivers
in Scotland.
The Old Bridge was built by Thomas Telford
in 1811 as he built a new winding road north to
Wick and John O Groats.
The New Bridge and New Road were built from
1970, taking out most of the bends.
2 miles north of Helmsdale, at a large Layby
on a steep straight incline, there is a path
that leads to the Old Road for walking. You can
walk round the bends with Cats Eyes and plastic
Roadside Markers with red reflectors on them.
Locals state the road from this area up to Wick
before 1970 was amazing, real steep with
Hairpin Bends, some had to be taken in first
gear.
The Bridge Hotel was built
in 1816 as the Commercial Inn, now used as a
Guest House.
Helmsdale Free
Church of Scotland is just round to the
left at the Bridge Hotel, built from 1890, may
be getting converted to a home.
Helmsdale 9 Hole Golf Club is just round
from the Church.
The Belgrave Arms Hotel is
at the north side of the New Bridge, built in
1819 as a Travelers Inn.
The Bannockburn Inn with a
Beer Garden and Meals is also at the north side
of the New Bridge, built in the early
1800s.
There are also small local shops in this
area, a restaurant and fish and chip shop.
Helmsdale Harbour is at the mouth of the
River Helmsdale, on the east side of the New
Bridge, built by the Sutherlands at a time they
were forcing Crofters off their land,
encouraging them to take up fishing for Herring
that was booming at that time.
There were about 200 Herring Fishing Boats
at Helmsdale by the late 1800s.
The Harbour today is split between Fishing
Boats and a Marina with the Fishing Boats going
after cod, ling, mackerel, flatfish, haddock,
pollack, coley, and wrasse. Mackerel, herring,
sprat, and blue whiting are targeted by the
larger vessels. Shellfish like crabs, lobsters
and scallops are targeted by the smaller
boats.
Helmsdale History
1235 - the Earldom of Sutherland was created
for William de Moravia (William Sutherland),
with the Sutherlands land growing to about 580
square miles.
1401 - the earliest parts of Dunrobin
Castle were built for the Sutherlands, 16
miles south of Helmsdale, becoming the main
Castle of the Sutherlands.
1488 - Helmsdale Castle was built for the
seventh Countess of Sutherland at the south
side of Helmsdale Harbour as a Hunting Lodge,
where the New Bridge is today, nothing remains
of the Castle, just a Stone Marker in the Car
Park for the Emigrants Statue.
1567 - the 11th Earl of Sutherland and Wife
were poisoned at Helmsdale Castle by Isobel
Sinclair, aunt of the Earl as she wanted her
own son to become the Earl. Her own son drank
the Earls sons poison leading to his death.
Isobel killed herself before being executed in
Edinburgh. Castle
Information
1766 - the one year old Elizabeth
Leveson-Gower became the Duchess of Sutherland
after her parents died of Typhus, her mothers
family had owned Slave Plantations in Jamaica.
Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in
Edinburgh and London.
1807 - Elizabeth Duches of Sutherland had
about 300 people removed from the land in the
area of Lairg, 35 miles southeast of Helmsdale
to make way for her first big Sheep Farm that
would pay more rent than the Crofters.
Many of the Crofters Emigrated to Canada and
America rather than move into coastal villages
for fishing, villages for coal mining and other
industries being set up by the Sutherlands.
1811 - the Old Bridge was built at Helmsdale
by Thomas Telford as he built a road north to
Wick and John O Groats, this road being full of
hairpin bends as it had to cross many high
points.
1813 - Clearances at Kildonan, 10 miles east
of Helmsdale, led to riots with the Army being
called in to keep the peace and oversee those
being cleared were paid a fair price for their
cattle.
Many Crofters houses had their roofs removed
to prevent them returning, or the houses were
set on fire.
1814 - the Helmsdale Village seen today was
laid out by the Sutherlands by the Harbour,
partly to house Crofters being removed from
their homes. The Sutherlands tried to get the
Crofters to work in the Herring Fishing
industry that was booming at the time.
The Herring Industry employed a lot of men
for fishing and making barrels to store the
fish. Women were mainly employed to gut the
fish and pack them into the barrels.
1821 - the large scale clearances had come
to an end after the Sutherlands had forcibly
removed around 15,000 people from their homes
and land. Elizabeth
Sutherland Information
1870 - the Railway reached Helmsdale,
allowing the Herring to be transferred around
the UK in a matter of hours, a lot faster than
by ships.
1800s late - there were about 200 Herring
Boats operating out of Helmsdale.
1890 - Helmsdale Free Church of Scotland was
built.
1895 - the 9 hole Helmsdale Golf Club
opened.
1970 - the New Bridge and Road were built
through Helmsdale with the remains of Helmsdale
Castle being demolished at that time to make
way for the Bridge.
1980s - Herring Quotas were introduced due
to over fishing, leading to a vast decrease in
fishing from ports in northeast Scotland.
2007 - the Emigrants Statue was erected in
Cooper Park on the south side of Helmsdale at
the New Bridge. There used to be 6 Flag Poles
next to the Statue with the Flags of Scotland
and the nations most Emigrants went to such as
America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and
United Nations, but these seem to have been
taken down.
2015 - the North Coast 500 driving route was
established, passing through Helmsdale, leading
to a vast increase in tourists to the area.
2024 - Helmsdale Multi Use Games Area was
opened next to the New Bridge on Shore
Street.
Today - Helmsdale Harbour has a few fishing
boats mainly for white fish such as cod,
haddock and shellfish. People in England eat a
lot of Cod, people in Scotland eat a lot of
Haddock, with oily fish like Herring and
Mackerel mainly exported as few people in the
UK like them anymore.
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