Strath of Kildonan, also known as Strath Ullie, (), is a

strath A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow (as opposed to a glen, which is typically narrower and deep). Word and etymology An anglicisation of the Gaelic word , it is one of many that have been absorbed i ...

Sutherland Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...

, in the north of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It extends in a north-westerly direction from

Helmsdale 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 Clea ...

towards

Kinbrace Kinbrace is a small village in Sutherland in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies at the junction of the A897 and B871 and is from Helmsdale by road. The village has a station on the Far North Line (also named Kinbrace). Few people ...

History

In 1813, during the

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulted from Scottish Agricultural R ...

, a group of 50-60 men planned an ambush from the settlement of Suisgill in the Strath of Kildonan against a number of men who were employed by the Sutherland Estate in evicting tenants to make way for

sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin ...

. The estate men who were on horseback were tipped off in advance but were still pursued by the 50-60 men on foot, who as historian James Hunter described, had acted "just as their ancestors had done when launching one of the charges characteristic of clan warfare". Although the men on horseback escaped, another small group who were employed by the Sutherland Estate to carry out evictions as part of the Highland Clearances were caught in the Strath of Kildonan and surrounded by a mob of about 100 people. These Sutherland Estate employees were mostly shepherds and were permitted to leave as long as they did not return and their leader was told not show his face in the Strath of Kildonan again. In 1869, gold was found in the Strath and was exploited by local

crofter A croft is a traditional Scottish term for a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable, and usually, but not always, with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a ten ...

s and outside

prospectors Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis (followed by exploration) of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. It is also known as fossicking. Traditionally prospecting rel ...

until the enterprise became unprofitable. A following depression in the local economy caused crofters to resume gold digging, which by 1886 brought them into conflict with the Sutherland Estates.

Geography

The

River Helmsdale The River Helmsdale (sometimes known as the River Ullie) () 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 (otherwise known as ...

(also known as River Ullie) flows down the strath and into the sea at Helmsdale. The

A897 road The A897 single track road is entirely within the Highland council area of Scotland. It runs generally north from the A9 at Helmsdale to the A836 near Halladale Bridge, east of Melvich. The road passes through or near Kildonan, Kinbrace a ...

runs along the strath, as does the

Far North Line 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-tra ...

, with

Kildonan railway station 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, from , and has a single platform which is long en ...

halfway along.Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale Explorer

References

Glens of Scotland Landforms of Sutherland Resistance to the Highland Clearances Valleys of Highland (council area) 1813 in Scotland {{Sutherland-geo-stub