Helmsdale
Kayak spot · UK
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
53Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: Wind 4 kn gusting 9, Air 9 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Tue 3 · 58 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Wed 4 · 53 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 53 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 54 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 52 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 51 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 47 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 4°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 358, fair
- Wed 453, fair
- Thu 553, fair
- Fri 654, fair
- Sat 752, fair
- Sun 851, fair
- Mon 947, fair
- Tue 1050, fair
- Wed 1154, fair
The spot in three facts
- Grade IVits hardest rapid IV+
- Moving waterthe water
- Best Jul–Aug7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 58, fair | 6 kn | 12kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 58, fair | 4 kn | 9kn | 9°C | 0.3 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 53, fair | 1 kn | 4kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 53, fair | 2 kn | 6kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 54, fair | 3 kn | 8kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 52, fair | 1 kn | 4kn | 6°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 51, fair | 4 kn | 9kn | 6°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 47, fair | 4 kn | 9kn | 4°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 50, fair | 2 kn | 5kn | 5°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 54, fair | 4 kn | 7kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Jul–Aug
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.
Map
put-in, take-out, its town
Helmsdale on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Helmsdale
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Helmsdale
A river section on the Helmsdale, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade IV, its hardest rapid IV+, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. For expert paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Brora.
- River Helmsdale
- Grade Grade IV, its hardest rapid IV+, on the international scale.
- Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
- Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map.
Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,390–US$2,580 each
about US$1,390–US$2,580 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to INV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$422–US$871 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$322–US$543 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$188–US$348 |
| Total | about US$1,390–US$2,580 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Brora
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 40 min by car · 9 places to stay
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Brora its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 20m
About 17h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → INV, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 35m by road
Flights ORD → INV on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Brora · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Brora · GetYourGuide
River level
River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits