Strath of Kildonan, also known as Strath Ullie, ( gd, Srath Ilidh), 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 ''srath'', it is one of many that have been ab ...

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) 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 (later ...

, in the north of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It extends in a north-westerly direction from

Helmsdale Helmsdale ( sco, Helmsdal, gd, Bun Ilidh) is a village on the east coast of Sutherland, in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. The modern village was planned in 1814 to resettle communities that had been removed from ...

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 peopl ...

History

In 1813, during the

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , 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 resulte ...

, 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. 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 horse back 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 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 tenant farmer, especially in rural area ...

s and outside

prospectors Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis (followed by Mining engineering#Pre-mining, exploration) of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. It is also known as fossicking. ...

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) ( gd, Ilidh / Abhainn Ilidh) 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 Kildo ...

(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 and ...

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-trac ...

, with

Kildonan railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Kildonan Railway Station, September 2018.jpg , caption = Kildonan station as it was in September 2018, taken from the level crossing at the southern ...

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

References

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