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The Bridge Hotel(Helmsdale) Ltd. Tel Hotel: +44 (0) 1 431 821100 Registered in Scotland:
SC 197701
Local Area & Activities The region offers all the traditional Scottish activities such as salmon and wild brown trout fishing, stalking, shooting, bird watching, whale watching, nature walks, highland games and even gold panning in the tributaries of the Helmsdale River. If you need further information about any of these activities, please do not hesitate to contact us at the Bridge Hotel and we will be more than happy to help you. 
Helmsdale
 Nestling below Creag Bunillidh the traditional Highland fishing village of Helmsdale is the ideal base from which to explore Sutherland. Situated at the mouth of the River Helmsdale (from which it takes its name) it has a lot to offer the visitor. The village was planed at the time of the Highland Clearances in the early 19th century, on the site of an ancient settlement. Located as it is on the shores of the Moray Firth, it is natural that many of the local community make their living from the sea. The herring industry (the silver darlings) brought prosperity to the village until the beginning of the last century and, although the boom is now over, the visitor can still stand at the picturesque harbour and watch fishing boats prepare to reap today's harvest of lobster, crab and white fish. For further information about the village, please visit:
For Fishing information/tackle and advice contact Ronald Sutherland: For further information on Helmsdale Golf Club visit: Timespan  Timespan is situated directly opposite the hotel and includes an award winning museum with a permanent collection and changing exhibitions chronicling the history of Helmsdale and the region. It also has an art gallery, a riverside café, a shop displaying arts and crafts and a riverside garden filled with Scottish herbs and flowers, nestling against the old Helmsdale Bridge. Dunrobin Street, The Brora Golf Club
The Brora Golf Club, situated 10 miles (12 - 15mins drive) south of the Bridge hotel, is a traditional links golf course designed in 1923. With the exception of the short sixth, the outward nine holes follow the contour of Kintradwell Bay in the foreground, with a backdrop of the Sutherland foothills from Ben Bhraggie to the west, away to the Ord of Caithness in the north-east. Brora Golf Club, Golspie Golf Club
 Set at the foot of Ben Bhraggie in the Highlands of Scotland, Golspie Golf Club offers one of the finest settings for a round of golf. Only 17 miles (20-25 minutes) from the Bridge Hotel and within a short drive of the other local courses Tain and Brora, Golspie offers a unique blend of seaside links, heath and parkland golf. Founded in 1889 and designed by the legendary James Braid, the course offers a refreshing challenge to all abilities of golfer. Golspie Golf Club Royal Dornoch Golf Club  Royal Dornoch Golf Club Situated approximately 25 miles south of the Bridge hotel, The Royal Dornoch provides the keen golfer with one of the best courses the Highlands can provide. Formed in 1877, Dornoch has now been a Royal club for over 100 years. Over the years the Championship course has been tweaked and enhanced by greats such as John Sutherland and ex-professional and greenkeeper, Donald Ross. Open Champion, George Duncan added new holes after the war ensuring that the course has remained a challenge in the face of ever improving equipment and continues to be regularly ranked within the top 15 best courses in the world. Tain Golf Club
Tain Golf Club Tain Golf Club in Ross-shire, situated some 32 miles from the Bridge Hotel, is a traditional Scottish Highland links course designed by Old Tom Morris near Dornoch. For more information please visit: Falls of Shin Falls of Shin Visitor Centre is the best place in Scotland to see wild Atlantic Salmon in their natural habitat. Watch salmon battle their way up the waterfall on their annual journey to the spawning grounds in the headwaters of the River Shin and its tributaries. The salmon start their run as the waters warm from the end of April through to the end of November and can be easily seen from the well-maintained viewing platform only 100 metres from the car park. Opening times summertime 09:30 - 18:00 Clynelish Distillery  Clynelish Distillery, only nine miles from the Bridge Hotel, is one of the most northerly distilleries in Scotland, located just outside the village of Brora on the A9. Hit the Highland trail and join Scotland's great gold rush. Many hundreds did in the 1880s and gold is still to be found in the local streams. Why not discover Scotland's liquid gold at Clynelish Distillery......pure water from mountain springs that run over veins of gold on its way to the distillery. Now Clynelish provides the malt whisky at the heart of the Johnnie Walker Gold Label blend. OPENING TIMES:
(last tour 15.30) or by appointment On occasion when the distillery is not in production, visitors are still welcome and tours are provided. There is an adult charge, which includes a discount voucher, redeemable at the distillery towards the purchase of a 70cl bottle of malt whisky. Children under 8 years are welcome but not encouraged to take the tour. Brora, Sutherland, Scotland Dunrobin Castle
Golspie, Sutherland KW10 6SF, Scotland
Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland's great houses and is certainly one of the most majestic. It is the largest house in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms, and is one of Britain's oldest continuously inhabited houses, dating in part from the early 1300s. The history of the castle is quite fascinating and has seen the architectural influences of Sir Charles Barry and latterly Sir Robert Lorimer. The castle has been used as a naval hospital during the First World War and from 1965 to 1972 as a boys' school.
OPENING TIMES:
Dunrobin Castle is 50 miles north of Inverness on the A9, 1/2 mile north of Golspie. There is parking for 300 cars and 10 coaches. The Gift shop supplies a wide range of gifts, souvenirs and local craftware, and the Castle Buffet offers light meals, snacks and hot and cold refreshments.
Please note that these fares also include entry to the falconry display, museum and gardens. Castle of Mey 
Bookings & General Enquiries
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother first saw what was then Barrogill Castle in 1952, while mourning the death of her husband, King George VI. The Castle was built by George, 4th Earl of Caithness, who passed it to his second son, William Sinclair. On his death a short time later, it went to the third son, George Sinclair, who founded the family of the Sinclairs of Mey: they succeeded to the earldom in 1789. The Castle became the seat of the Earls of Caithness for the next 100 years. Originally known as the Castle of Mey, the name was then altered to Barrogill Castle. It changed hands several times over the next fifty years before coming into the possession of Captain F B Imbert-Terry in 1929, who subsequently sold it to the Queen Mother in 1952.
The Castle of Mey is located on the north coast of Caithness, Northern Scotland, in the parish of Canisbay, about 60 miles north of the Bridge Hotel, 15 miles east of Thurso and 6 miles west of John O'Groats on the A836. Achiltibuie  
 Located on Scotland's northwest coast, 25 miles by road northwest of Ullapool, Achiltibuie and the other villages on the Coigach peninsula enjoy some of the most spectacular views anywhere in the highlands. Achiltibuie is also home to a famous salmon smoke house with a visitor’s centre. It also provides some of the best walking trails of Scotland. Stac Polly is probably the best known mountain in the area and may be climbed in under an hour. The view from the top is superb on a clear day largely because it is slightly removed from its neighbours. It is hardly surprising that it has become the most climbed mountain in Scotland. There are many more challenging walks in the area and mountains within easy reach include Suilven, Canisp, Quinag, Ben More Assynt, An Teallach and Beinn Dearg. One of the most rewarding views in the area however can be enjoyed from the top of Meall an Fheadhain above Polbain. It was recently described in the Scots magazine as "the most ridiculously easy climb" where the view "explodes on the visitor". From here you can see up to 70 miles in a 360° panorama. You can forget the rest of the world here for a day or a month, where the view may be different every time you look at it and the surrounding landscape will often take your breath away. Visit www.achiltibuie.net for further information on Achitilbuie and its surroundings. Visit www.summerislesfoods.com for Achiltibuie Smokehouse. John O'Groats John o' Groats (Taigh Iain Ghròt in Scottish Gaelic) is a village in the traditional county of Caithness and is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement on the mainland of Great Britain. It is approximately 60 miles north of Helmsdale, straight up to the top of the Highlands, about an hour and 40 minutes drive from the Bridge Hotel. The name John o' Groats has a particular resonance because it is so often used in outlining the length of Great Britain when races, walks and charitable events take place between the Cornish point, Land's End (at the extreme western tip of the Cornish peninsula in England) and John o' Groats. The phrase Land's End to John o' Groats is frequently heard both as a literal journey and as a metaphor for great or all-encompassing distance The Orkneys   To really get away from it all, take a trip to the spectacular Orkney Islands, which can be found off the northern tip of Scotland, where the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Here the climate is temperate, warmed by the Gulf Stream; with the driest months being April, May and June. With 5000 years of culture, there is history around every corner, not to mention plenty of quiet sandy beaches, stunning scenery and abundance of wildlife. Orkney also boasts a vibrant contemporary culture, which draws people in its own right. Throughout the year, there are festivals ranging from the magical midsummer St. Magnus Festival to the annual agricultural shows and sporting events. The island’s various craft industry continues throughout the year. For more information, please visit: |
