Gold Panning Day With Rangers - You Never Know What You Can Find

14th August 2017

The gravels and sediments of the Kildonan Burn are salted with small concentrations of gold in the form of tiny granular flecks, and the very occasional little nuggets sometimes combined with quartz.

The Helmsdale river valley offers a sheltered and pleasant route to the banks of the Kildonan Burn, signposted as Baile-An-0r, the Gaelic translation of Town of gold.

Lapidary enthusiasts can also find small garnets, these are in good quantity but usually well travelled and fractured, however occasionally one can be found which is of facetable quality. Other associated minerals are quartz, hematite {magnetic black sand}, granite, mica schist, pyrites and marble.