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 middle reaches of the River Don. The place-name is believed to come from the Scots auld ford; its original position getting on the banks of the Don. The "L" sound in words has, over time, been gone down, as well as 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 respectively. Alford provided its name to a fight of the Battle of Alford (1645 ). It is additionally the home of the Aberdeen Angus cattle reproduce, 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 ground of the livestock was Buffal, located in between Hard (Tulloch) and Craigievar close-by Alford. Another specialty for the town is Alford Oatmeal, ground at Montgarrie, simply outside the community. Alford also sports the Alford Neighborhood University, with a library and pool. The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Museum as well as Craigievar Castle are prominent visitor tourist attractions, with a range of other historical sites, rock circles, as well as castles (including Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser as well as Drum Castle) being within simple reach by roadway. One stone circle, originally thought to be primitive, ended up being a 20-year-old replica. Situated in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a big as well as preferred environment-friendly space with a caravan park as well as forest strolls. The 18 hole Alford Golf Club is an appealing and pleasant program which has a big local subscription.