Alford, Aberdeenshire

Alford
Scottish Gaelic: *Athfort^[1]*
Scots: *Aaford,^[2] Awfort^[3]*
Alford Scottish Gaelic: Athfort; Scots: Aaford, Awfort;
	Alford Location within Aberdeenshire
Population	2,610 (2022)
OS grid reference	NJ5716
• Edinburgh	90 mi (145 km)
• London	409 mi (658 km)
Council area	Aberdeenshire;
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Alford
Postcode district	AB33
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine;
Scottish Parliament	Aberdeenshire West;
	List of places UK Scotland 57°14′N 2°43′W / 57.23°N 02.71°W

Alford (pronounced /ˈɑːfərd/ ^ⓘ Scots: Aaford or Awfort, Scottish Gaelic: Athfort) is a large village in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, 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 "L" sound in the place-name has, over time, been dropped, and is silent. Alford gave its name to a battle of the Battle of Alford (1645). It is also the home of the Aberdeen Angus cattle breed, which is celebrated by a life-sized model of a bull on the edge of the village, which the Queen Mother inaugurated in 2001.^[5] It is believed^{[by whom?]} that the original breeding ground of the cattle was Buffal, located between Tough (Tulloch) and Craigievar nearby Alford.

The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Museum and Craigievar Castle are visitor attractions, with a range of other archaeological sites, stone circles, and castles (including Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and Drum Castle) also nearby. One stone circle, originally believed to be prehistoric, turned out to be a 20-year-old replica.^[6]

Sport

Alford Golf Club opened on 15 May 1981. Initially a nine-hole course, it reopened as an eighteen-hole course in May 1992.^[7]^[8]^[9]

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, approximately 26 miles (42 km) away. There is much new housebuilding going on in Alford as of 2006^[update] to cater for a workforce who mainly commute in Aberdeen to work in the oil industry.^{[citation needed]} Bus services are operated by Stagecoach, 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, chairman of both the Stewart Milne Group and Aberdeen Football Club was born nearby and attended school in Alford
John Forbes, minister exiled by James VI
Lord Forbes, of Forbes Castle
William McCombie, pioneer Aberdeen Angus breeder
Laura Main, actress in Call the Midwife
Emeli Sandé, award-winning singer/songwriter.
Dougie Gray, Rangers F.C. fullback
William Minto, critic and novelist