Helmsdale is a small fishing village on the east coast of Sutherland, two hours north of Inverness by road or rail. It is a quiet place now, with a harbour, a river mouth, stone cottages and the A9 sweeping past, but its history is unusually heavy for a village of this size.
The village was laid out in the early 19th century for people pushed off inland farms during the Highland Clearances. That story is told well at Timespan, while the Emigrants Statue above the river gives the same history a more emotional form. Helmsdale also had a short gold rush in 1869, and you can still pan for gold in the Kildonan burns with the proper local permits.
The best reason to stop here is the combination: a working coastal village, strong Clearance history, Iron Age sites nearby, and lonely cliff walks north towards Caithness. Badbea and Ousdale Broch are both close enough for a half-day outing by car, and together they make Helmsdale more than just a pause on the North Coast 500.