Sutherland is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire to the south and the Atlantic to the north and west. Like its southern neighbour Ross-shire, Sutherland has some of the most dramatic scenery in Europe, especially on its western fringe where the mountains meet the sea. These include high sea cliffs, and very old mountains composed of Precambrian and Cambrian rocks.
Helmsdale is a village on the east coast of Sutherland, in the Highland council area of Scotland. The modern village was planned in 1814 to resettle communities that had been removed from the surrounding straths as part of the Highland Clearances.
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. As the name suggests, it is the northernmost railway in the United Kingdom. The line is entirely single-track, with only passing loops at some intermediate stations allowing trains to pass each other. In common with other railway lines in the Highlands and northern Lowlands, it is not electrified and all trains are diesel-powered.
Kildonan railway station is a railway station near Kildonan Lodge in the Highland council area in the north of Scotland. It is located on the Far North Line, between Helmsdale and Kinbrace, 111 miles 5 chains (178.7 km) from Inverness, and has a single platform which is long enough for a three-coach train. All services are operated by ScotRail, who manage the station.
Kinbrace railway station is a railway station serving the village of Kinbrace in the Highland council area in the north of Scotland. It is located on the Far North Line, 118 miles 20 chains from Inverness, between Kildonan and Forsinard. The station is managed by ScotRail, who operate the services at the station.
Forsinard railway station is a railway station serving the village of Forsinard in the Highland council area in the north of Scotland. It is located on the Far North Line, 125 miles 69 chains from Inverness, between Kinbrace and Altnabreac. The station is managed by ScotRail, who operate the services at the station.
Berriedale is a small estate village on the northern east coast of Caithness, Scotland, on the A9 road between Helmsdale and Lybster, close to the boundary between Caithness and Sutherland. It is sheltered from the North Sea. The village has a parish church in the Church of Scotland.
Melvich is a village in the county of Sutherland on the north coast of Scotland. It is situated on the A836 road, near the mouth of the River Halladale. It has a successful Gaelic choir. The A897 road which runs from Helmsdale, through the Strath of Kildonan and past Kinbrace, terminates at Melvich.
The A832 is a road in the Scottish Highlands, linking Cromarty, on the east coast, to Gairloch on the west coast, and beyond Gairloch to Braemore Junction. It is 126 miles (203 km) long and runs entirely in the former county of Ross and Cromarty. The road forms part of the Wester Ross Coastal Trail.
Achentoul is a hamlet in the Kinbrace area of Sutherland, in the Scottish council area of Highland. Consisting of a few farmhouses and barns, Achentoul lies around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Kinbrace along the A897 road and south of Loch An Ruathair. Although the Achentoul Forest is located in this area, the landscape is said to be dominated by moist Atlantic heather moor.
Achiemore is a hamlet in Strath Halladale in Sutherland, in the Highland council area of Scotland. Achiemore is situated to the north of Smigel Burn on the right bank of the Halladale River just beyond where the Allt an Tigh-choinneirnh flows and Upper Bighouse. The village and station of Forsinard is 15 km to the south, and Melvich, on the north coast, is roughly 4.5 miles (7 km) to the north. Culfern is just to the north and contains ruins. The A897 road passes through Achiemore.
Kilphedir is a small remote settlement, which sits in the Strath Ullie valley in Helmsdale, Sutherland, east coast of the Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.
The River Helmsdale is one of the major east-flowing rivers of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It flows broadly southeastwards from Loch Badanloch down the Strath of Kildonan, gathering the waters of the Bannock Burn on its left and the Abhainn na Frithe on its right before discharging into the Moray Firth on the North Sea at the town of Helmsdale. Other significant tributaries of the Helmsdale include the left-bank Suisgill Burn and the right-bank Craggie Water. Loch Achnamoine which is just over 1 km in length, lies on the line of the river 1 mi / 1.5 km downstream of Loch Badanloch. Loch Badanloch is one of a complex of three interconnecting lochs - the other two being Loch nan Clàr and Loch Rimsdale which gather waters from the moors on the southern edge of the Flow Country via the Allt an Lòin Tharsuinn, Allt Lòn a' Chùil and Rimsdale Burn.
Strath of Kildonan, also known as Strath Ullie,, is a strath in Sutherland, in the north of Scotland. It extends in a north-westerly direction from Helmsdale towards Kinbrace.
The John o' Groats Trail is a Scottish long-distance walking route from Inverness to John o' Groats, traversing back lanes, footpaths, shorelines and cliff tops of the Scottish Highlands. The trail gives access to accommodation, meals and shops at the end of each stage of the walk.
The Far North Line was built in several stages through sparsely populated and undulating terrain. Extending to 161 miles (259 km), it runs north from Inverness to Wick and Thurso in Caithness, and currently carries a regular passenger train service.
Dunbeath Water is a short river in Caithness in northern Scotland. It rises at Loch Braigh na h-Aibhne in the Flow Country and initially flows northeast before turning generally south-southeastward to flow through Dunbeath and into the Moray Firth at Dunbeath Bay. Its main tributaries in its upper catchment are the left-bank ones of Allt a' Bhuic which drains Loch Dubh and the Raffin Burn which drains Loch Breac. On the western edge of Dunbeath, the Burn of Houstry, fortified by the Allt an Learanaich also enter on the north bank. The river is crossed by the old bridge and a new bridge carrying the modern A9 road northwards. A small harbour has been developed at the river mouth.
Berriedale Water is a short river in Caithness in northern Scotland. It arises as the Feith Gaineimh Mhor, Feith Chaorunn Mhor and Feith Fhuaran come together at the southern edge of the Flow Country after which it flows generally eastwards to Braemore. Downstream of Braemore it curves to the south within an increasingly narrow valley which continues to the coast at the estate village of Berriedale. It is joined at this point by the Langwell Water, the headwater streams of which lie just to the south of those of Berriedale Water. Like the lower stretches of Berriedale Water, the valley sides become more wooded towards the coast. The 706m high hill of Morven lies on the watershed between the two rivers. The two rivers are crossed by the A9 road at their confluence only a few hundred metres short of the Moray Firth. The remains of Berriedale Castle stand above the mouth on the south side.
Strath Halladale is a strath in the traditional county of Sutherland in the north of Scotland down which the Halladale River flows to enter the Atlantic Ocean at Melvich Bay. It is followed by the A897 road between Forsinard and just short of Melvich where it joins the A836 north coast road, just east of Halladale Bridge, the lowest road crossing of the river. The headwaters of the river gather within The Flows National Nature Reserve and head northwest towards Forsinard. The flow is soon joined by the left bank tributaries of the Catsack and Ewe burns. The main tributary is the left-bank River Dyke or Abhainn Bheag which joins just south of the twin settlements of Trantlemore and Trantlebeg on the west and eastern sides of the valley respectively. There are a large number of broch ruins within Strath Halladale.
Loch Badanloch is a loch in Sutherland in the Highland Council Area of northern Scotland.
A836 