Alford is a big village in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, existing simply south of the River Don. It lies within the Howe of Alford (likewise called the Vale of Alford) which occupies the middle reaches of the River Don. The place-name is believed to come from the Scots auld ford; its original setting being on the financial institutions of the Don. The "L" audio in the word has, with time, been gone down, as well as is silent. Additionally, the name could be a tautology; a combination of ath and ford, both suggesting 'ford' in Gaelic and also Scots specifically. Alford gave its name to a fight of the Battle of Alford (1645 ). It is likewise the home of the Aberdeen Angus livestock breed, which is celebrated 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 livestock was Buffal, situated in between Difficult (Tulloch) and Craigievar neighboring Alford. One more specialty for the community is Alford Oatmeal, ground at Montgarrie, just outside the community. Alford likewise sports the Alford Neighborhood University, with a library as well as pool. The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Museum as well as Craigievar Castle are prominent site visitor attractions, with a variety of other historical sites, rock circles, and castles (consisting of Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser as well as Drum Castle) being within simple reach by roadway. One rock circle, initially thought to be primitive, turned out to be a 20-year-old replica. Positioned in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a huge and prominent green space with a campers park as well as forest strolls. The 18 opening Alford Golf Club is an eye-catching and also pleasurable course which has a big neighborhood membership.