Alford
Alford is a large town in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, lying simply southern of the River Don. It exists within the Howe of Alford (also called the Vale of Alford) which occupies the center reaches of the River Don. The place-name is thought to originate from the Scots auld ford; its initial placement being on the financial institutions of the Don. The "L" audio in the word has, with time, been dropped, as well as is silent. Alternatively, the name could be a tautology; a combination of ath and also ford, both suggesting 'ford' in Gaelic and also Scots specifically. Alford gave its name to a battle of the Battle of Alford (1645 ). It is additionally the house of the Aberdeen Angus livestock reproduce, 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 initial breeding ground of the cattle was Buffal, located between Tough (Tulloch) and Craigievar close-by Alford. One more claim to fame for the town is Alford Oatmeal, ground at Montgarrie, simply outside the town. Alford also sports the Alford Community Campus, with a collection as well as swimming pool. The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Museum and also Craigievar Castle are preferred site visitor tourist attractions, with a variety of other historical sites, stone circles, and castles (including Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and also Drum Castle) being within simple reach by roadway. One stone circle, initially believed to be ancient, ended up being a 20-year-old replica. Situated in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a big as well as popular environment-friendly space with a caravan park and forest strolls. The 18 opening Alford Golf Club is an attractive and pleasurable training course which has a big local membership.