Aaford

Aaford^[1] or Awfort^[2]
Scots Gaelic: *Athfort^[3]*
Aaford or Awfort Scots Gaelic: Athfort;
	Alford Location within Aberdeenshire
Population	1,925 (2001 census); est. 2,050 (2006)
OS grid reference	NJ5716
Cooncil area	Aiberdeenshire;
Kintra	Scotland
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Post toun	Alford
Postcode destrict	AB33
Police	Scots
Fire	Scots
Ambulance	Scots
EU Pairlament	Scotland
UK Pairlament	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine;
Scots Pairlament	Aberdeenshire West;
	Leet o places UK Scotland 57°14′N 2°43′W / 57.23°N 02.71°WCoordinates: 57°14′N 2°43′W / 57.23°N 02.71°W

Aaford (pronooncit ⁱ/ˈɑːfərd/ Inglis: Alford, Scots Gaelic: Athfort) is a muckle veelage in Aiberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, leein juist sooth o the River Don. It lees athin the Howe o Aaford (cried the Vale o Alford an aw) which occupies the middle reaches o the River Don.

The place-name is thocht tae come frae the Scots "auld ford"; its oreeginal poseetion bein on the banks o the Don. The "L" soond in the wird haes, ower time, been droppit, an is silent. Alternatively, the name coud be a tautologie; a combination o 'Ath' an 'ford', baith meanin 'ford' in Gaelic an Scots respectively. Aaford gae its name tae a battle o the Battle o Alford (1645). It is the hame o the wad popular Aiberdeen Angus cattle breed, which is celebratit bi a life-sizit model o a bull on the edge o the toun. It is believit that the oreeginal breedin grund o the cattle wis Buffal, locatit atween Tough (Tulloch) an Craigievar nearby Alford. Anither claim tae fame for the toun is the warld famous Alford Oatmeal, grund at Montgarrie, juist ootside the toun.

Probably due tae Aaford's relative isolation an muckle catchment aurie, thare are a muckle nummer o services in the veelage, includin three banks, a supermercat, three garages, a bakery an a wide range o ither shops. Thare is a dry ski slope an aw, soummin puil an public librar.

The Alford Valley Railway, Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Heritage Centre an Craigievar Castle are popular visitor attractions, wi a range o ither airchaeological steids, stane circles, an castles (includin Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and Drum Castle) bein athin easy reach bi road. Situatit in Aaford, Haughton Country Park is a muckle an popular green space wi a caravan park an firthland walks. The 18 hole Alford Golf Club is a attractive an pleasant course which haes a muckle local membership.

Public transport

Thare is a bus service connectin wi Aiberdeen, approximately 25 mile (40 km) away. Thare is hintle new hoosebiggin goin on in Alford as o 2006^[update] tae cater for a wirkforce who mainly commute in Aiberdeen tae wirk in the ile industry. Bus services are operatit bi Stagecoach wi dialabus services bein operatit bi Aiberdeenshire Cooncil. Bus services connectin Alford tae Aberdeen go bi twa different routes:

the X18/218 goes via Westhill
the 220 goes via Kintore.

Notable residents

Alford is the birthplace o the renouned poet, Charles Murray
Stewart Milne, chairman o baith the Stewart Milne Group an Aberdeen Football Club wis born nearbi an attendit schuil in Aaford
Laird Forbes, o Forbes Castle
William McCombie, Pioneer Aberdeen Angus breeder
Emeli Sandé, sangster-sangwriter. Olympic openin ceremony performer.
Dougie Gray, Rangers F.C. fullback

References

↑ "Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots". Archived frae the original on 19 Mairch 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
↑ The Online Scots Dictionary^{[deid airtin]}.
↑ "Rannsaich an Stòr-dàta Briathrachais Gàidhlig" (in Scots Gaelic). smo.uhi.ac.uk. 10 November 2010. Archived frae the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
↑ "Comparative Population Profile: Alford Locality". Scotland's Census Results Online. 29 Apryle 2001. Archived frae the original on 19 Mey 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
↑ [1] Archived 2008-09-30 at the Wayback Machine

Freemit airtins

Alford Valley Railway Archived 2014-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
Oatmeal of Alford
Grampian Transport Museum
Cragievar Castle Archived 2005-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
Alford Image Library
Alford Fiddlers^{[deid airtin]}
Haughton Country Park Archived 2013-11-22 at the Wayback Machine
Haughton Caravan Park Archived 2014-03-29 at the Wayback Machine
Ski Slope Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
Stagecoach Bluebird

This Places o Scotland airticle is a stub. Ye can help Wikipaedia bi expandin it.

[1] "Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots". Archived frae the original on 19 Mairch 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2013.

[2] The Online Scots Dictionary^{[deid airtin]}.

[3] "Rannsaich an Stòr-dàta Briathrachais Gàidhlig" (in Scots Gaelic). smo.uhi.ac.uk. 10 November 2010. Archived frae the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2012.

[4] "Comparative Population Profile: Alford Locality". Scotland's Census Results Online. 29 Apryle 2001. Archived frae the original on 19 Mey 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2008.

[5] [1] Archived 2008-09-30 at the Wayback Machine

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v t e Places in Marr, Aiberdeenshire
Main touns	Aaford Abyne Ballater Banchry Braemar Huntly Lumphanan Tarland Torphins
Ither touns	Backburn Bellabeg Birse Birsemore Bogniebrae Brathens Brideswell Cairnie Corgarff Crathie Dinnet Finzean Forgue Gartly Inverey Keig Kildrummy Kinker Kirkton of Tough Logie Coldstone Lumsden Monymusk Potarch Rhynie Ruthven Strachan Strathdon Tornaveen Towie Tullich Ythanwells
Places o interest	Alford Valley Railway Badenyon Balmoral Castle Blelack Braemar Castle Burn O'Vat Cairn O' Mounth Cairngorms National Park Castle Forbes Corgarff Castle Craigievar Castle Crathes Castle Crathie Kirk Forest of Birse Grampian Transport Museum Huntly Castle Kildrummy Castle Lochnagar Lost Royal Deeside Royal Deeside Railway Yonder Bognie Ythan Wells (Glenmailen) Roman Camp

v t e Places in Aiberdeenshire (see an aa: Aiberdeen Ceety)
in Bamff an Buchan	Aberchirder Bamff Fraserburgh Gardenstown Inverallochy an Cairnbulg Macduff Portsoy Rosehearty Sandhaven Whitehills
in Buchan	Boddam Crimond Cruden Bay Fetterangus Hatton Longside Maud Mintlaw New Deer New Pitsligo Peterheid St Combs St Fergus Strichen Stuartfield
in Formartine	Balmedie Cuminestoun Ellon Fyvie Newburgh Auldmeldrum Pitmedden Potterton Rothienorman Tarves Turriff
in Garioch	Blackburn Insch Inverurie Kemnay Kintair Newmachar Westhill
in Kincardine an Mearns	Drumoak Fettercairn Gourdon Inverbervie Johnshaven Laurencekirk Newtonhill Portlethen St Cyrus Stanehyve
in Marr	Aaford Aboyne Ballater Banchry Braemar Huntly Lumphanan Tarland Torphins