[Closed] Scotland - Midges!

http://2010.midgeforecast.co.uk/

DEET in high strength is the only thing I am sure will work when they are really bad. I have high hopes for smidge but I have not tested it yet.

Are they something to be wary of ?

Could they spoil my weekend?

How many pints will make me not care ?

Any pubs that will let me camp in their beer garden ?

Any thing else I need to be wary of ?

[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4734760661_43f0dd3193_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4734760661_43f0dd3193_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/4734760661/ ]14 A coo[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr

Some (but not the majority) of the locals, other than that Scotland is excellent place to tour / camp. Just try to avoid midge areas is best in my limited experience of midge season, if you can't do that deet.

We're in Stirling and don't get too many. Much further north is really bad however.

After our recent trip up north, we confirmed that we had the best riding too!

I have high hopes for smidge but I have not tested it yet.

Well would you kindly get a wriggle on because some of us want to know if it works or not. Thank you.

I bought a bottle of it but there were no midges when I was out, maybe it does work?

putting your mum, who smokes, at the front of the tent, between two primuses with pans of boiling water works, but to be fair it'd be hard to carry and mum, at 83, might not be that mobile .......

Avon SSS (lots of) seemed to work for me.
(Edit, *I have seen a cooking pan that was black (and I mean truly black) with midges - pity as it was actually beans)

I live in Glencoe, supposedly one of the worst spots in Scotland. Despite the midge forecast horror stories I haven't had a problem this year at all*. You'd think the midge forecast people were exaggerating to promote a new product if you didn't know better.

*I will eat my words at some point though.

Might I suggest guntrader.com for ideas. The average Skye midge has a bite like an alligator and nothing smaller than a 4 bore will stop them. Or so my missus said last year. I just plastered Jungle Formula on. Beware. It screws the elastic in Campagnolo cotton caps. I suspect it isn't good for Goretex or contact lens either.

no amount of beer will dull your horror, all that does is make you have to deal with them when hung over

not good

not good atall.

the horror.....the horror

[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/3859997332_37e6ee025e.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/3859997332_37e6ee025e.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrmichaelwright/3859997332/ ]Sadly the midges liked it too, a speedy escape was necesary[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/mrmichaelwright/ ]mrmichaelwright[/url], on Flickr

equals

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They are hell when they swarm , I would not camp in the nw between June and September , but that's just me as the bu??ers eat me alive.

Get a midge net , long sleeve base layers and long pants.

Wind over 4mph jerks then at bay , lower that that and it can be he'll.

Nothing will stop midges. Take loads of anti-histamines and you wont feel the bites.

Take loads of anti-histamines and you wont feel the bites.

that's what i do, it takes some will power to overcome the sheer annoyance when they swarm though. in that picture above we had just packed our yellow tent away and i am not exaggerating when i say the inside of it was completely black with midges trapped in condensation. i'd gone out for a natural break in the night and they bit everything exposed

everything 😯

[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/scotlandshire-amp-midges ](From a similar thread a couple of years back)[/url]

Every year I forget just how vicious they can be at that time of the year.

I've a very vivid memory from last August, turning up to a campsite in the North West to meet some friends. It was a beautiful evening and the campsite appeared to be busy. There were lots of tents but something wasn't quite right... Food lay partially eaten on picnic tables; bikes lay abandoned on the grass, back wheels slowly turning to a halt; a frisbee hung momentarily in the air before clunking to the ground; but nowhere was there a human being to be seen.

I pondered this weird land-bound Mairi Celeste tableau as the sunset faded and I turned off the car ignition. The low bass thrum of the diesel engine died to be replaced by a growing sound, first at the edge of my consciousness, but steadily intensifying; the sound of light rain. But how could it be from a cloudless sky on that last, perfect day of summer? I felt a shiver run down my spine as my hand reached for the door pull and I opened my cocoon to the gathering gloaming.

I stepped out...

Later that evening I sat in another car drinking heavily with friends as others arrived. They'd blithely and gaily spring forth and we'd take wagers on how long it'd be before they were clawing frantically at their exposed flesh as if beset by madness or bees.

"9 seconds I reckon, Ian".
"Nah, 14".
"1-2-3-4".
"Whoah!"

We got shot down on this very forum for a tale like Stuartie C.... bailed out of Skye for a rain bar induced puncture followed by inhaling midges on an up hill. I should have known we were doomed as everyone on the campsite at the Slig was in a car. Skin So Soft, smokey fire and every other thing didn't stop them.

In 1969 we put people on the frigging moon. No amount of technology since then has cured the Scottish Midge Issue.

Go early or late to avoid the misery.

camped at kirroughtree a few years back this time of year doing the SUW and at one point I couldn't see my arms or legs for midges. We couldn't eat as we couldn't lift our nets. I swore never to return to Scotland in midge season. It doesn't help that I come out in huge blisters with every bite or that any anti-histamine turns me into a spaced out Zombie.

Saying that I was in Wales at the weekend at they were pretty bad there as well

midges don't get bad until july/august if you ask me. but to be prepared make sure you have something to keep your skin covered if need be(long trousers and long sleeved top), deet will only work so much, when you get in to proper midge country you'll know all about it, no amount of chemicals will help. also take something with a hood on it that you can zip up to a wee peep hole! 😀 I'm serious, they sell midge nets for a reason.

DEET works

Joking aside, can you let us know when you've tried the Smidge. I'm not keen to put DEET on my kids, and we can't avoid the midges where we live. Cheers.

Surprised no mention of the mighty Skin So Soft- a heady coctail of that and Jungle Formula reduces even the satanic loch lomond midges to the point where you feel like you may actually survive the night

TandemJeremy - Member
DEET works

Agree - it's the only stuff that does. It also melted the plastic bezel on my dive watch and melts the outside of chocolate bar wrappers! I've always been a midge target and have tried everything from Avon's SSS to bog-myrtle, to eating garlic in vast quantities.

DEET just does the job.

I hope Smidge does as well.

Not exactly selling it to me guys.

Thing is I have a meeting in Glasgow Monady and Tuesday next week. So I was thinking of travelling upeither Friday/Saturday and cycling round and doing a bit of camping.
I've got to start from Glasgow, as thats where my train ticket is to, and I've gotto be back in Glasgow for Monday morning.
Would a more midge free option be to look at a mini-tour South of Glasgow, rather than Loch Lomond and the Trossachs ? Any suggestions ?

Well I can confirm Smidge is se, I live not far from Strathdon and the little bs have been out in force this last week, ditched the "Smidge that Midge" and went back to the 50% deet jungle formula even that does not keep some of the harder b***s away, 3 hour jaunt up my local hills and came back covered!

For more than a couple of hours you need to go nuclear - 100% DEET seems to work for me for around 5-6 hours biking or all day walking around

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I would seriously consider staying in a bunk house rather than camp.

It has lots of advantages:

Less kit to carry
Keeps you in doors at worst midge times (dawn and dusk)
Indoor protected cooking !!!!!!
Not much more than camping fees

[url= http://www.independenthostelguide.com/selected-accommodation.php?area=801&s=41s ]Loch Lomond bunk house[/url]

[url= http://www.scottish-hostel.com/index.html ]Callander bunk house[/url]

😯

You lot are crazy.
😉

I remember camping at glenbrittle on Skye a few years back. I had to run out of the tent to the car to get something, no more than twenty yards. In the morning we counted over 50 bites on my face, neck and forearms. If I'd tripped over they would have found a skeleton the next day.

DEET is the only thing that works, and even then it's not a complete barrier.

DEET may work but I am a little reluctant to put something on my skin that melts plastic ! Working at Fort Bill on the world cup.. it was amazing what DEET did to the Shimano course tape.....

scotsman - Member

Well I can confirm Smidge is se, I live not far from Strathdon and the little bs have been out in force this last week, ditched the "Smidge that Midge" and went back to the 50% deet jungle formula even that does not keep some of the harder b***s away, 3 hour jaunt up my local hills and came back covered!

Fiddlesticks - I had high hopes for that.

stAn-Bad Brains MBC

The trossachs may well not be too bad at all. It does vary very much and I have never been swarmed badly in the trossachs - just remember the deet

I remember a few of them even got through the midge netting on my tent. make sure all the zips are done up and stuff socks or something through the small gaps where the zips meet.

Kev

DEET may work but I am a little reluctant to put something on my skin that melts plastic

You want to see what nail varnish remover [acetone?] does - but that doesn't stop half the population using it

Sure I once saw a plastic cup with booze in it melt too - can't recall it too well though, I was drinking at the time 🙂

Well I can confirm Smidge is s***e

Never mind.

Back to this stuff then

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Does nothing to stop you getting bitten, but does wonders for you afterwards. Good stuff.

I find that Smidge works superbly. Better than SSS. Had it on up Mugdock last week when a chap had a chain break and it protected well. maybe it's just the lowland midge that is stops, but the guys that put it on did say it was pretty amazing.

Definately worth giving it a go and seeing for yourself.

Smidge user here. Haven't been in heavy midge conditions yet but speaking as someone who usually gets eaten alive the result so far are very good, way better than skin so soft for me personally.

Uplink... re acetone nail varnish remover, I agree, but folk don't rub it all over their face and skin over and over again....

Cup melting booze was probably Polish Slivovitz....

but folk don't rub it all over their face and skin over and over again.

I only generally use one application of DEET per day and then only occasionally and when I'm somewhere it's needed
Maybe 4 or 5 times per year tops

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Are they something to be wary of ?

Could they spoil my weekend?

How many pints will make me not care ?

Any pubs that will let me camp in their beer garden ?

Any thing else I need to be wary of ?

The Avon stuff for me worked reasonably well. Not tried the Smidge stuff yet personally, but other people i've spoke to about it say it works quite well .

The thing with midges is that no matter what you put on ... its only going to stop them biting you ... not stop then landing on you, which in its own right is annoying too.

zzziiiiiiiip. as one flies into your ear hole .....
😕

enjoy !

hhhhmmmmm!
The 07:10 from Leeds on Monday morning is slowly but surely looking like the best option.

Think I might spend Friday/Saturday in the good ol'Yorkshire Dales.

My experience is just avoid being outside from about 5pm-8pm not moving about much. Riding or brisk walk is fine. Pitching tent or fixing flat wheel would be a mare.

I don't like DEET. OK for occasional use. Don't think DEET, SSS, etc. really repel them, so you still get the blighters crawling all over you, but they might dissuade them from biting. Stop Bite seemed to work to some extent, which makes you smell of Drambuie (sort of).

As for those cows... I thought they were pretty docile, despite the pointy bits, although I wouldn't argue with one.

If you want something non-Deet for yourself or your kids then try Prevent - it really works. It's not just a repellent and can also be used as an insect killer in tents etc. It'll kill bigger insects like wasps too and those insect not repelled by it die as soon as they try to take a bite.

http://www.safariquip.co.uk/all-categories/insect-protection/insect-repellent/prevent-insect-repellent-pump-spray/

I've also tried Care Plus Repel It which is natural and uses Picardin. It also works well - the WHO recommend it as being as good or better than Deet.

For riding I usually use Ultrathon deet based cream on arms and legs as it's very sweat resistant and then some Prevent around my face, neck, hair etc. Seems to really work.

If you don't think there are enough in Scotland this year, it's probably because they've all gone to Afan for a holiday. We got eaten alive on Saturday.

i dont think they are out in force yet ... only just starting to see them at the farm just now, and not in the normal numbers you expect.

to be honest, its still air thats a killer. as long as there is a breeze, then its nots so bad. they dont like the wind.

I honestly just avoid areas of high midge concentration when the season is at its peak. Currently I don't think they are too bad anywhere. I was on Arran last week and only suffered a couple of bites

DEET does work but, as other have pointed out, its pretty nasty stuff.

Avon Skin so Soft does work as well the secret is to apply liberal amounts to any exposed skin as soon as you stop. I think it works by basically creating an oily barrier the midges can't get through to bite you so you need to apply lots of it.

But the best advice is just to try and avoid high midge concentration where you can, because when they swarm you will get bitten regardless of what you are using

a couple of years ago me and my girlfriend decided to go camping at loch katrine on the summer solstice - without protection. we got absolutely plastered in midgie bites. up ours noses, on the edges of our eyelids, the inside of our lips... we aborted before getting the tent up.

ironically, despite looking like a big swollen red blob, i never got any soreness or pain from the bites. weird... my girlfriend, on the other hand...

For those that have done both areas.

Kielder midge...V...Fort William midge ..

Which one would win in a fight?

Oh ,and along with the garlic thing ,I once heard something about marmite and Vit b working,anyone tried them ?.

In other bug news ,the folk at Laggan Wolftrax said that they had had more bother with mosquitos than midge this season 😯

You do not get mosquito's that far north, they will just be small black flies.

On the midge front, the Skye midge would beat any other.... especially west coast - Glenbrittle. (or as I called it Glenbrutal, the only place that the midge has beaten me)

What's the advice on which midge net to get then please? (And any cool clothing)

You do not get mosquito's that far north, they will just be small black flies.

Erm... mosquitoes do live that far north, including the ones that enjoy biting humans. I'm pretty sure that plenty of people who live in the arctic will be happy to confirm that for you. Generally in the UK midges are more of a problem than the mosquitoes though I've never found either [i]that[/i] bad until you get north/west of the Great Glen. Probably most unbearable I've ever experienced [outside of Scandinavia] was on the Outer Hebrides though.

What's the advice on which midge net to get then please? (And any cool clothing)

I've got a full mesh suit (hoody and trousers) I used to use sometimes at work (forestry) and would recommend having one handy if you're traveling in the NW or the islands in case conditions are bad. Check fishing/ebay shops, you should be able to find something for £30ish. Not perfect, but combined with a repellent (if you find one you think works) its about as good as you can get.

one you can drink through ! as exampled here:

[IMG] [/IMG]

OK, you do get mosquito's that far north!! I jumped in.... FAIL! Anyway I have never encountered Mozzies in Scotland, just the Midge and the Kleg. Throw in the Ticks and we have quite an impressive collection of horrible insects that keep the faint hearted indoors.

Got badly bitten for the first time by midges camping at Afan over the weekend, and i got off lightly compared to some. Warm, still but damp conditions next to the Ponds. No amount of BBQ smoke or repellant worked.

Can we have some proper dangerous fauna please not just these really annoying ones? Scorpions, black widow spiders, bears, wolves - you get the idea. What do we get? Midges cleggs and mossies!

Pah!

Have worked on the railways in the Highlands and found that only 100% DEET is really effective against midgies when you're out and about all the time. It does strip the paint off pencils and makes your lips go pins and needles if you get it on them.

I once met a round-the-world cyclist in Spean Bridge who had cycled the length of the Americas and had chased a bear in canada and had snakes in Central America and was on his way south from John O'Groats. He was thinking of getting the train south from Fort William because of the midgies. He said it was the only beastie he'd met that when you kill one of them, a million of his mates came to the funeral...

Got bitten twice by mosquitos for the first time in Scotland in July 2010 at the Moray Monster Trails. Saw the liitle ****ers so I know they were mosquitos.

...and its supposed to be raining 🙁

I once heard something about marmite and Vit b working,anyone tried them ?.

Those midge machines are excellent....

Seems the midgies are late this year. Tracksterman reports none in the NW highlands. Can't be long now though ........

http://tracksterman.tumblr.com/

A mosquito coil in the tent works well too, though the lungs are a bit guggy for a few days after inhaling all that smoke.

We used to go camping in Scotland when I was a kid and we had several family holidays where we just gave up and went home. The problem with DEET based repellents is that the DEET comes out in your urine for 48 hours after you've applied it. The Avon stuff works pretty well; I work for a perfume manufacturer and we believe the strong fougere smell actually confuses their ability to detect exhaled CO2. Sunlight and wind are their enemies so camp as close to the sea as you can. There have been several books written about the effect of the midge on the economy of Scotland.

Ahhhh! f^^k it ! - 8 o'clock train from Leeds on Saturday - should be in Glasgow by lunch time, therefore should be sat by the side of a Loch getting eaten alive by tea time.
2 days on the bike + 2days working.

(alternative was to stay at home -and my missus kindly pointed out that by mid afternoon Saturday I would have been mad at myself and sulking for not going and would have become unbearable to live with).

I've got some Jungle Formula extra strength and some Mosi Guard extra strength in the cupboard - are these any good ? or do I need to get something else ?

LochKatrine has been mentioned above - I'm planning on getting over that way at somepoint on my short stay - any decent camping spots ?

Absolutely, definitely get yourself some Skin So Soft as well for when they get past the repellent. It's cheap and most outdoor shops sell it.

Having said that, the forecast is wind and rain so you should be OK 😀

stAn,

I would suggest get train to Milngavie, then do West Highland Way to Drymen. Turn off it there and head to Aberfoyle, from there you can go over the Dukes Pass to Katrine, or head round the trails near Loch Ard. There is always alternative of Braeval loop towards Loch Venacher. Plenty of wild camping on outskirts of Aberfoyle and is a campsite close if you want showers etc. Alternative is on WHW to Balmaha (they are trying to discourage wild camping on Loch Lomond but would probably turn a blind eye to a lone, sensible camper) Nice route over Conic hill, then back next day via Balloch and cycle route down past Bowling and along Forth and Clyde canal back into Glasgow. Keep up a good speed and the midges will be fine..... stoip are you will be stripped to the bones in seconds..... 😉

jungle formula is good - check the ingredients - you need DEET and the higher strength the better - I use 50%

You can get the train from Glasgow to Milngavie if you want a few miles start on getting to the trossachs or to balloch for loch lomond

The sustrans route from callender to killin is nice easy ride and pleasant if not challenging

There are camping spots alongside loch Achray that I know of - there is an offfroad route along the south side of it. There is also a forestry commission site in the woods south of the hotel between loch ard and loch katrine - I have not used it for years and it has been a bit of a party site in the past

Avon SSS all the way.

Forgot to put some in my pack a couple of weeks ago at Carron Valley and we were bitten all over, still have the bite marks today. I think I may be growing a bit more sensitive to them 🙁

Ok - the trip is on. Thanks for all the advise guys.
Called in at the outdoors shop for some DEET (95% ) turned round and the missus had ought me a new synthetic down sleeping bag 😀 Packs down small enough to go in my bag rather than strapped to handlebars.

Well happy and looking forward to pootling round the Lochs on my lovely Sutra. 😀

If you could paint the midges on Skye green and put some fins on them, you could sell 'em at arms fairs, no problem.

Smile nice and you can camp in my garden this weekend - killin - we are away anyhow.

Midges are not too bad here at the moment, only a few when the wind dies and not enough for me to either resort to powerful stuff (only had Avon SSS on a couple of times) and not sent me indoors / into breeze either. Our gorge at work is usually a horrid place with them at this time of year, but none today despite calm, warm and water.