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

, 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 (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 1 ...

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 The Alford Valley Railway is a narrow gauge railway in the Howe of Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located at what used to be the terminus of the passenger and goods Alford Valley Railway which connected with the Great North of Scotl ...

, Grampian Transport Museum,

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 are popular visitor attractions, with a range of other archaeological sites, stone circles, and castles (including Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and Drum Castle) 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 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

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), a ...

, 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 dra ...

, with dial-a-bus services being operated by Aberdeenshire Council. Bus services connecting Alford to Aberdeen go by two different routes: *the 218 goes via Westhill *the X20 goes via Kintore and Kemnay.

Notable residents

* Alford is the birthplace of the renowned poet, Charles Murray *

Stewart Milne Stewart Milne CBE, DBA, DTech (born 23 July 1950) is a Scottish businessman and football club chairman, from Alford, Aberdeenshire. Milne founded the Aberdeen-based Stewart Milne Construction Group, a housebuilding contractor, in 1975. He starte ...

, 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, of Forbes Castle * William McCombie, 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. ...

, actress in Call the Midwife * Emeli Sandé, 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 the ...

, Rangers F.C. fullback * William Minto, critic and novelist

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire