Day 124: Sneem – Castledonovan

The night had been a concert of rain and wind, with the camper's roof drumming relentlessly. I dreamt of giant puddles and seagull chases while the raindrops competed in crazy races down the windows. Nobody came to scold us for staying, and that was perfect: there were no signs of prohibition, even though Park4Night said otherwise. In the morning, the storm eased and the world seemed to whisper: "Okay, you can go out... but be careful".

We left almost at noon and headed for Kenmare. Half an hour of curves, ups and downs, with my nose glued to the window, smelling every bush and every wet rock. We parked in front of the church, among cars and tourists, because today was Sunday and mass attracted more people than a bone festival. The town looked like something out of a fairy tale, with its colorful houses and the church as guardian of time, but the traffic and souvenir shops gave it an air of madness. I jumped from side to side, dodging humans and curious people who wanted to pet me.

After a quick jump to Aldi, we set off towards the Healy Pass. That's where the real adventure began: the road twisted like a snake between green mountains, with low clouds that let rays of sunshine escape, illuminating the wet grass. On the other side, the south coast of the Beara peninsula awaited us, with cliffs that defied the sea, hidden beaches and waves roaring like hungry lions.

We found a very cool place on the coast, a pier with a concrete platform, where we ate and rested. I jumped from side to side, smelling the salty air and challenging the waves that were trying to reach us. We thought about staying to sleep, but the wind became mischievous and the waves splashed towards the camper, so it was better to look for another shelter. And it wasn't easy: here even the viewpoints and lay-bys have height barriers that made us feel like giants trying to pass through tiny holes.

Dad took us to a place in Glengarriff, but it turned out to be a car park in the middle of the city, ugly and noisy. Nothing for an adventurous dog. So we continued half an hour more to a gravel car park next to a road intersection. It was okay, there was already a camper, but in the distance something shone in my imagination: a ruin that begged to be explored. It was Castledonovan Castle.

We approached and discovered the small car park at the foot of the castle, perfect for spending the night. When we arrived it was already night. The camper welcomed us between shadows and wind, and all the mystery and excitement of the place will be for tomorrow, when we can explore, sniff and run to our heart's content. Night envelops us, but my heart keeps beating with a desire for doggy adventure.