Alford is a huge town in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, existing simply southern of the River Don. It lies within the Howe of Alford (additionally called the Vale of Alford) which occupies the middle reaches of the River Don. The place-name is thought to originate from the Scots auld ford; its original setting getting on the banks of the Don. The "L" sound in words has, gradually, been gone down, and also is silent. Alternatively, the name could be a tautology; a mix of ath and also ford, both suggesting 'ford' in Gaelic as well as Scots specifically. Alford provided its name to a fight of the Battle of Alford (1645 ). It is additionally the home of the Aberdeen Angus livestock breed, which is celebrated by a life-sized model of a bull on the edge of the town, which the Queen Mother inaugurated in 2001. It is thought that the initial breeding place of the cattle was Buffal, located between Difficult (Tulloch) and also Craigievar neighboring Alford. One more claim to fame for the town is Alford Oatmeal, ground at Montgarrie, simply outside the community. Alford likewise sporting activities the Alford Neighborhood University, with a library as well as pool. The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Museum and Craigievar Castle are popular site visitor attractions, with a range of other archaeological sites, rock circles, and also castles (consisting of Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and Drum Castle) being within simple reach by road. One rock circle, originally believed to be prehistoric, ended up being a 20-year-old replica. Situated in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a huge as well as prominent environment-friendly area with a caravan park and forest strolls. The 18 hole Alford Golf Club is an appealing and positive course which has a large regional subscription.