We sadly said our goodbyes to Ireland. Many thanks to our coordinators Ambarish, Mangala, Gary, Colm, Shane and all others.

We spent three wonderful days there, that had seemed like so many more.

We took a morning ferry over the Irish Sea.

It took almost four hours. On the way we saw a beautiful rainbow smiling over the horizon.

Steep cliffs and a lighthouse welcomed us from far away.

The weather was typical of the British Isles - you could certainly describe it as "changeable"!

We had some heavy rain, but the bright spells when we saw vivid rainbows over the road more than made up for it.

The charming ferryport of Fishguard is very much the gateway to Wales. We were met on the dockside by the town's mayor, Cllr. Michael Lloyd, who presented the runners with a Welsh Flag. We were greeted in both English and Welsh - "Welcome to Fishguard, Croeso i Abergwaun". Cllr. lloyd then lit the Harmony Torch and our journey through Wales began.

From the docks we ran through Fishguard to the College, which is serving as a temporary base for the local authority while the Town Hall is being renovated.

The runners were welcomed in traditional style with welshcakes, bara brith and plenty of tea to set them up for the many miles of road running that lay ahead. we also heard, for the first time, the words of our World Harmony Run Song spoken in Welsh:

Rhedwch Rhedwch Rhedwch

Rhediad Tangnefedd y Byd

Undod y chyflawnder

Haul yfory

Ydym ni

From Fishguard our route took us through the Gwaun Valley and over the Prescelly Mountains - the rugged hills from where the ancient Britons took the stones to build Stonehenge.

The weather was still very varied, and we enjoyed a mix of bright spells and torrential showers as the uplands gave way to rolling green hills and fields, and we arrived on the outskirts of Carmarthen.

Here we were joined by two runners from one of the local athletic clubs - the Sarn Helen Club of Lampeter. Sarn Helen organise quite a few races in South West Wales, and their events always include races for junior runners to encourage the next generation of Welsh athletes.

The mayor of Carmarthen, Councillor Richard Evans, came to greet us at the Town Hall.

After being welcomed on behalf of the city of Carmarthen, and offering our thanks by singing the World Harmony Run Song, we were invited in to the Mayor's parlour where we heard all about the town’s history, which dates back to pre-roman times. Carmarthen used to be a flourishing port, despite its position several miles up-river from the sea, and the mayor revealed that he also carries the title of "Admiral".

As well as holding this honorary naval rank, and being a councillor, the mayor has links with the local fire service and was able to arrange accommodation for us at the local fire station. Fortunately there were no fires in town that night, so we all enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep, for which the whole team was very grateful.

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Distance: 65km

Team Members:
Ondrej Vesely (Czech Republic), Andrea Fidrmuc (Slovakia), Abichal Watkins (Wales), Marc Schrader (Germany), Jirka Albrecht (Czech Republic), Fran Chamberlain (Wales), Amelia Lloyd (England), Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Charana John Evans (Wales), Prabhavati Evans (Wales), Bijon Chaudhuri (England), Rebecca Xerri (Wales), Roger Chamberlain (Wales), Edi Brodtrager (Austria), Bakul Keaney (Ireland), Erika Pongracz (Hungary), Angela Muhls (Germany), Zuzana Tobolkova (Czech Republic).

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

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