About Helmsdale Castle
Helmsdale Castle stood at the centre of one of the most dramatic poisoning plots in Scottish history. In 1567, the Countess of Sutherland poisoned the Earl and Countess of Sutherland here in a bid to secure the earldom for her own son — her son accidentally also drank the poison and died, making it one of history's more spectacularly backfired conspiracies. Almost nothing of the original castle survives above ground today — it was demolished in the 1870s to make way for a bridge. A marker and information board in Helmsdale village note the site. The Timespan Heritage Centre in Helmsdale, nearby, tells the full story of the castle and the surrounding area's fascinating history including the Kildonan Gold Rush of 1869.
Highlights
Getting There
In Helmsdale village on the A9. Village car park is signed from the main road.