Alford
Alford is a big village in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, existing just south of the River Don. It lies within the Howe of Alford (additionally called the Vale of Alford) which occupies the center reaches of the River Don. The place-name is believed to originate from the Scots auld ford; its initial setting getting on the financial institutions of the Don. The "L" noise in the word has, over time, been gone down, and also is silent. Additionally, the name could be a tautology; a combination of ath and ford, both indicating 'ford' in Gaelic and also Scots respectively. Alford provided its name to a battle of the Battle of Alford (1645 ). It is likewise the home of the Aberdeen Angus livestock reproduce, which is commemorated by a life-sized version of a bull on the edge of the town, which the Queen Mother inaugurated in 2001. It is believed that the original breeding place of the cattle was Buffal, situated in between Hard (Tulloch) and also Craigievar nearby Alford. One more claim to fame for the town is Alford Oat meal, ground at Montgarrie, just outside the community. Alford likewise sports the Alford Community School, with a library as well as pool. The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Museum and also Craigievar Castle are preferred site visitor destinations, with a series of other historical sites, stone circles, as well as castles (including Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and Drum Castle) being within very easy reach by road. One rock circle, initially thought to be prehistoric, ended up being a 20-year-old replica. Situated in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a big and prominent eco-friendly area with a caravan park as well as forest strolls. The 18 hole Alford Golf Club is an appealing and also enjoyable training course which has a large local membership.