Stonehaven Beach

Beneath the ominous view of an ancient castle, the frigid waters wash upon dark rocks and seagulls spin overhead hoping to catch a crab or other tasty critter between their beaks. The gray sky is alive with the wind and wispy clouds that catch the sunlight, causing the land beneath to be dull in the filtered light of the sun. Even the sands upon the shore seem a little less golden than they should this time of year. Stonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The town grew around an Iron Age fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" ("old town"), and expanded inland from the Seaside. As late as the 16th century, old maps indicate the town was called Stonehyve or Stonehive. Dunnottar Castle, perched atop a rocky outcrop, was home to the Keith family, and during the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Scottish Crown Jewels were hidden there. In 1296, King Edward I of England took the castle only for William Wallace to reclaim it in 1297, burning down the church in the process with the entire English garrison still in it. In 1650, Oliver Cromwell sacked the castle to find the Crown Jewels following an eight month siege. This sound uses the following file from Freesound: http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=103673