Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a sharp turn west to
Alford
, then continues past ruined castles through the
Upper Don
Valley
and the heather moorlands of the eastern Highlands. This remote and under-
visited area is positively littered with ruined castles, Pictish sites, stones and hillforts.
Alford and around
ALFORD
(pronounced “aa-ford”), 21 miles northwest of Banchory, only exists at all
because it was chosen, in 1859, as the terminus for the Great North Scotland Railway.
A fairly grey little town now firmly within the Aberdeen commuter belt, it's still well
worth making the trip here for the Grampian Transport Museum.
2
Grampian Transport Museum
Main St • Daily: April-Sept 10am-5pm; Oct 10am-4pm • £9.50 •
W
gtm.org.uk
he
Grampian Transport Museum
is home to a diverse display of transport through the
ages, from old tramcars and pushbikes to modern, ecofriendly cars. Notable exhibits
include the Craigevar Express, a strange, three-wheeled steam-driven vehicle developed
by the local postman for his rounds, and that famous monument to British eccentricity
and ingenuity, the Sinclair C5 motorized tricycle.
Alford Valley Railway
Just north of Main St, or a short walk east of the Grampian Transport Museum • April-June & Sept Sat & Sun 12.30-4pm; July & Aug daily
12.30-4pm • Return trip £4 •
T
07879 293934,
W
alfordvalleyrailway.org.uk
A couple of minutes' walk from Grampian Transport Museum is the terminus for the
Alford Valley Railway
, a narrow-gauge train that runs for about a mile from Alford
Station through wooded vales to the wide open space of
Murray Park
. he return
journey takes an hour.
Craigievar Castle
6 miles south of Alford • Castle: April-June & Sept Fri-Tues 11am-4.45pm; July & Aug daily 11am-4.45pm; grounds: daily 11am-5.30pm •
£12; car parking £1; NTS •
T
08444 932174
Six miles south of Alford on the A980,
Craigievar Castle
is a fantastic pink confection
of turrets, gables, balustrades and cupolas bubbling over from its top three storeys. It
was built in 1626 by a Baltic trader known as Willy the Merchant, who evidently
allowed his whimsy to run riot.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
ALFORD AND AROUND
By bus
Stagecoach Bluebird buses #218 and #220 link
Aberdeen with Alford (1hr 10min).
Tourist o
ce
The Grampian Transport Museum is home
to the helpful tourist o
ce (April-Sept Mon-Sat 9am-
5pm, Sun 12.45-5pm;
T
01975 562650).
Lumsden
The A944 heads west from Alford, meeting the A97 just south of the tiny village of
LUMSDEN
, an unexpected hot spot of Scottish sculpture. A contemporary
Sculpture
Walk
- heralded by a fabulous skeletal black horse at its southern end - runs parallel
to the main road, coming out near the premises of the widely respected
Scottish
Sculpture Workshop
, 1 Main St (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, or by arrangement; free;
W
ssw.org.uk), very much an active workshop rather than a gallery, at the northern
end of the village.
Rhynie
The village of
RHYNIE
, folded beautifully into the hills four miles north of Lumsden
up the A97, is forever associated with one of the greatest Pictish memorials, the
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