Alford
Alford is a huge village in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, lying simply south of the River Don. It exists within the Howe of Alford (also called the Vale of Alford) which inhabits the center reaches of the River Don. The place-name is thought to originate from the Scots auld ford; its original position being on the banks of the Don. The "L" audio in words has, gradually, been gone down, and also is silent. Conversely, the name could be a tautology; a mix of ath as well as ford, both suggesting 'ford' in Gaelic as well as Scots specifically. Alford offered its name to a battle of the Battle of Alford (1645 ). It is additionally the residence of the Aberdeen Angus cattle breed, which is commemorated by a life-sized design of a bull on the edge of the town, which the Queen Mother inaugurated in 2001. It is believed that the initial breeding ground of the cattle was Buffal, located between Tough (Tulloch) as well as Craigievar neighboring Alford. Another claim to fame for the town is Alford Oat meal, ground at Montgarrie, just outside the community. Alford likewise sports the Alford Neighborhood Campus, with a collection and swimming pool. The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Museum and also Craigievar Castle are prominent visitor destinations, with a variety of various other historical sites, rock circles, as well as castles (including Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and also Drum Castle) being within very easy reach by roadway. One rock circle, initially believed to be prehistoric, ended up being a 20-year-old reproduction. Located in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a large and preferred environment-friendly room with a caravan park and also forest walks. The 18 hole Alford Golf Club is an appealing and also pleasant training course which has a large local membership.