The Lab Field Test #001: The Fence

The Lab Field Test #001: The Fence Follow the line, not the path. Saturday 25 July 2026 £145 per person | 6 places only | Full day mountain field test This is a rough Migneint boundary crossing with Jacob. One day. One line. Where there’s fence, we follow the fence. Where the fence disappears, we follow the boundary stones. The only deliberate deviation is Arenig Fach. The Migneint is one of the biggest, wettest and least forgiving upland areas in North Wales. It doesn’t behave like the famous parts of Eryri. There are no clean ridges, no obvious rewards and no tidy summit-to-summit rhythm. Its pull is stranger than that. Space. Bog. Fence. Stones. Silence. Slow movement across ground that refuses to make things easy. This is my backyard, and it’s a place I keep coming back to. Not because it’s pretty in the obvious way, but because it has a seriousness to it. The kind of ground where distance and ascent don’t really tell you anything. Expect roughly 20km with 700-900m ascent depending on final access and vehicle logistics. On paper, that sounds manageable. On the ground, it’s different. Wet, rough, uneven, pathless upland. Bog, tussock, peat, awkward crossings, boundary posts and slow progress. This is a long linear day and vehicle logistics will be involved. Expect around 9-10 hours out. You’ll need solid hill fitness, good resilience on rough ground and a willingness to spend a long day moving steadily through awkward terrain. This isn’t for anyone chasing fast progress, famous views or clean paths. The line itself is the point. What’s included: • Professional mountain leadership from Mountain Craft • Route planning and on-the-day decision making • Linear route and vehicle logistics planning • Emergency satellite communication • A small-group Lab field test across complex upland terrain What’s not included: • Personal walking kit • Food and drink • Transport to the meeting point • Dry feet • An easy line across the Migneint The Fence isn’t hard because of the stats. It’s hard because of the ground.