Alford (pronounced sco, Aaford or , gd, Athfort) is a large village in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

, north-east

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, lying just south of the River Don. It lies within the Howe of Alford (also called the Vale of Alford) which occupies the middle reaches of the River Don. The place-name is thought to come from the Scots ; its original position being on the banks of the Don. The "L" sound in the word has, over time, been dropped, and is silent. Alternatively, the name could be a tautology; a combination of and , both meaning 'ford' in Gaelic and Scots respectively. Alford gave its name to a battle of the

Battle of Alford The Battle of Alford was an engagement of the Scottish Civil War. It took place near the village of Alford, Aberdeenshire, on 2 July 1645. During the battle, the Royalist general James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose defeated the forces of ...

(1645). It is also the home of the

Aberdeen Angus The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Angus in north-eastern Scotland. In 2018 the breed accounted for over 17 ...

cattle breed, which is celebrated by a life-sized model of a bull on the edge of the village, which the

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

inaugurated in 2001. It is believed that the original breeding ground of the cattle was Buffal, located between Tough (Tulloch) and Craigievar nearby Alford. Another claim to fame for the town is Alford Oatmeal, ground at Montgarrie, just outside the town. Alford also sports the Alford Community Campus, with a library and pool. The Alford Valley Railway,

Grampian Transport Museum Grampian Transport Museum is a transport museum and charitable-based trust located in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Its exhibits chart the history of transport in the north east of Scotland through dramatic displays, working and climb-ab ...

Alford Heritage Museum Alford may refer to: People * Alford (surname) Places ;Australia * Alford, South Australia ;England * Alford, Lincolnshire **Alford Manor House ** Alford Windmill **Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford * Alford, Somerset * Alford Crossways : ...

and

Craigievar Castle Craigievar Castle is a pinkish harled castle or fortified country house south of Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was the seat of Clan Sempill and the Forbes family resided here for 350 years until 1963, when the property was given to the ...

are popular

visitor attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

s, with a range of other archaeological sites, stone circles, and castles (including Balfluig Castle,

Castle Fraser Castle Fraser is the most elaborate Z-plan castle in Scotland and one of the grandest 'Castles of Mar'. It is located near Kemnay in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. The castle stands in over of landscaped grounds, woodland and farmland ...

and

Drum Castle Drum Castle is a castle near Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. For centuries it was the seat of the chief of Clan Irvine. The place-name Drum is derived from Gaelic ''druim'', 'ridge'. The site is located approximately northeast of Banchory a ...

) being within easy reach by road. One stone circle, originally believed to be prehistoric, turned out to be a 20-year-old replica. Situated in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a large and popular green space with a

caravan park Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

and woodland walks.

Sport

Alford Golf Club opened on 15 May 1981. Initially a nine hole course, it reopened as an eighteen hole course in May 1992.

Public transport

Alford railway station was the former terminus of the closed Alford Valley Railway branch line. There is a bus service connecting with

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, approximately away. There is much new housebuilding going on in Alford to cater for a workforce who mainly commute in Aberdeen to work in the oil industry. Bus services are operated by

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

, with

dial-a-bus A Telebus, Dial-a-bus, or Dial-a-ride service is a bus service that operates in a mode partway between a normal scheduled bus service and a taxi; it is a form of demand responsive transport. Telebuses typically have a scheduled route, but passeng ...

services being operated by

Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area includ ...

. Bus services connecting Alford to Aberdeen go by two different routes: *the 218 goes via Westhill *the X20 goes via Kintore and

Kemnay Kemnay ( Gaelic: ''Camnaidh'') is a village west of Aberdeen in Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History The village name ''Kemnay'' is believed to originate from the Celtic words that mean "little crook in the river" due to the village loc ...

Notable residents

* Alford is the birthplace of the renowned poet,

Charles Murray Charles Murray may refer to: Politicians *Charles Murray, 1st Earl of Dunmore (1661–1710), British peer *Charles Murray (author and diplomat) (1806–1895), British author and diplomat *Charles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore (1841–1907), Scotti ...

* Stewart Milne, chairman of both the Stewart Milne Group and

Aberdeen Football Club Aberdeen Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland. They compete in the Scottish Premiership and have never been relegated from the top division of the Scottish football league system since they were ...

was born nearby and attended school in Alford * John Forbes, minister exiled by James VI *

Lord Forbes Lord Forbes is the senior Lordship of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. The title was created sometime after 1436 for Alexander de Forbes, feudal baron of Forbes. The precise date of the creation is not known, but in a Precept dated July 1 ...

, of Forbes Castle *

William McCombie William McCombie MP (1805 – 1 February 1880), was a leading Scottish cattle breeder and agriculturist; he was also known as "the grazier king" or the "king of graziers". Life Born at Tillyfour Farm in Aberdeenshire, the home of his father, C ...

, pioneer

breeder *

Laura Main Laura Main (born 8 March 1981) is a Scottish actress known for her role as Sister Bernadette (later Dr. Turner's wife Shelagh Turner) in the BBC One drama series ''Call the Midwife''. Early life and education Laura Main was born in Aberdeen. H ...

, actress in

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Hanna ...

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian fathe ...

, award winning singer/songwriter. *

Dougie Gray Douglas Herbert Gray (4 April 1905 – 1972) was a Scottish footballer who spent his entire senior career with Rangers and is the longest serving player in the Glasgow club's history. Career Club Born in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Gray joined ...

Rangers F.C. Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the Govan district of Glasgow which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Although not its official name, it is often referred to as Glasgow Rangers outside Scotland. The fou ...

fullback *

William Minto William Minto (10 October 18451 March 1893) was a Scottish academic, critic, editor, journalist and novelist. Life Minto was born at Nether Auchintoul, near Alford, Aberdeenshire. He was son of James Minto, a farmer, and his wife Barbara Cop ...

, critic and novelist

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire