Alford is a large village in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, lying 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 thought to come from the Scots auld ford; its initial setting being on the banks of the Don. The "L" sound in the word has, gradually, been gone down, and also is silent. Alternatively, the name could be a tautology; a mix of ath and ford, both indicating 'ford' in Gaelic and Scots respectively. Alford offered its name to a fight of the Battle of Alford (1645 ). It is also the residence of the Aberdeen Angus livestock reproduce, which is celebrated by a life-sized version of a bull on the edge of the village, which the Queen Mother inaugurated in 2001. It is thought that the initial breeding place of the cattle was Buffal, located between Hard (Tulloch) as well as Craigievar neighboring Alford. One more claim to fame for the community is Alford Oat meal, ground at Montgarrie, just outside the community. Alford additionally sporting activities the Alford Neighborhood University, with a library and swimming pool. The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Museum and also Craigievar Castle are prominent site visitor tourist attractions, with a variety of various other historical sites, stone circles, and also castles (consisting of Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and Drum Castle) being within very easy reach by road. One rock circle, initially thought to be ancient, ended up being a 20-year-old reproduction. Situated in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a big and preferred eco-friendly area with a campers park and woodland strolls. The 18 hole Alford Golf Club is an eye-catching as well as pleasurable training course which has a large local membership.