"Welcome to Wales" was the greeting in Holyhead, the ancient home of the Druids in Anglesey, North Wales on Saturday morning, after the World Harmony Run had crossed the Irish Sea to reach the western shores of the British Isles.

Having no scheduled functions today meant we could be flexible in how we shared the daily mileage and when we could take our breaks to enjoy the majestic splendour of Snowdonia, an 800 square mile National Park.

New team members were keen to get out on the road. Abichal (below)

and Mark have joined for the next week or so and were very happy to take in the fresh air and elevated spaces of Snowdonia.

The Welsh language has always been difficult to pronounce and a few miles along the A5 we came to the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

Renamed in the late 18th century to attract more tourists, this is one of the most famous villages in Wales. The translation in Welsh for "St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave". The village railway station is a focal point for tourists and there is an information centre, at which we talked to Victoria Tower about the name and the history of the area.

We also met a local runner, Tony Lister of North Wales RRC, who was able to pronounce the name for us.

Leaving Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch we could see the mountains rising in front of us.

Anglesey is an island connected to mainland Wales via a suspension bridge across the Menai straits. Opened in 1826, the bridge stands 153 feet above the tidal flow and is still an impressive sight today.

Once in mainland Wales, we headed to the Pass of Llanberis...

where we would be staying tonight, leaving the short section from Llanberis to Pen y Pas for the following morning.

The Llanberis pass has an austere beauty augmented by the industry of man.

At the bottom of the valley lies the cold, clear water of the lake. From Llanberis up to the valley head, our route took us through Capel Curig and on to Pentrefoelas where we brought the days running to a close.

The runners stayed at Pen y Pas Youth Hostel, perched at the head of the pass and lying in the shadows of the craggy peaks of Snowdon and Crib Goch.

Here our evening dinner was supplied and prepared by Sanjaya and Kaivalya, to whom the World Harmony Run team is very grateful for their generous support and concern for the well-being of the runners.

Outside, the silence and peace of the mountains is unique and the wind is a constant companion, making Pen y Pas a special place to end the day.

– Abichal Watkins

Distance: 103 km

Team Members:
Ondrej Vesely (Czech Republic), Stefan Ehrenfellner (Austria), Colm Magee (Ireland), Kamilla Hozlarova (Czech Republic), Matthias Eckerle (Germany), Rosta Vagner (Czech Republic), Balavan Thomas (England), Mark Collinson (England), Abichal Watkins (Wales), Sanjaya Spettigue (England), Kaivalya Torpy (England), Preramrita Fox (England), Artur Janczak (Poland), Janek (Poland)

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