Once upon a time.

To the left of this viewpoint there is "St Catherine's Dub, a dark, cliff-girt, bay, traditionally the site of the sinking of a Spanish Armada ship. It was, in fact, the Santa Caterina a ship from the Spanish Netherlands gun-running for Francis, eighth Earl of Erroll's Catholic uprising in 1594. He died in 1631 and was buried 'upone the nicht' in the nearby kirk at Slains. His body was 'convoyit quyetlie with his awin domesticks and countrie freindis and with torche licht'. It was the Earl's wish that the expense thus saved should be given to the poor." 

Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006. Published by the Rutland Press.