# touring scotland midge avoidance



## kalamitty (Mar 26, 2009)

we are thinking of heading up to fort william and upwards about the middle of may, does anyone know when the midges start coming out in force, i know about the avon cream etc, but sometimes they can be to much that you can't even have the door open on the van. anyone help?


----------



## stevek (Mar 26, 2009)

Youll be fine in May.Expect them to start in june


----------



## salopian (Mar 26, 2009)

kalamitty said:


> we are thinking of heading up to fort william and upwards about the middle of may, does anyone know when the midges start coming out in force, i know about the avon cream etc, but sometimes they can be to much that you can't even have the door open on the van. anyone help?



Pop into your nearest Blacks (camping shop) and buy one of their midge hoods, top notch product !! I tried the Avon method and the midges positively loved the stuff !!!.........


----------



## oldiebutgoodie (Mar 26, 2009)

midge forecast


----------



## Hirohito (Mar 26, 2009)

*Midge Repellents*

We have lived here in "midge country" (& house fly country because of the stored mounds of cow dung/straw). for the past 12 years. We use midge repellent wipes & jungle formula roll-on & have no problem. I also like to chase both the buggers (thousands of them) with fly-spray & always stock up with Big"D" & get some from Tesco & other shops when reduced.


----------



## kalamitty (Mar 26, 2009)

thanks for all the replies,sprays are a no no due to old dog (17yrs westie). she's lived this long don't want to kill her off now. well better start planning my route.


----------



## Belgian (Mar 26, 2009)

*Repelant*

We use for some years now 'Advantix' by 'Bayer'. A spot-on solution, a few drops on the back between the shoulderblades (of the dog of course). It really works against fleas, ticks, midgets and other insects. (strangely not to be used by cats ?)


----------



## t&s (Mar 26, 2009)

dont go there it is hell !
a bee keepers hat is not enough to keep these things at bay having to keep the doors and windows shut day and night and they still got in 
we found it better the other side of scotland not as many midges there 
but we hated the west coast  so much we drove fron dundee back to dorset in one hit 
god it was nice to get home


----------



## salopian (Mar 28, 2009)

t&s said:


> dont go there it is hell !
> a bee keepers hat is not enough to keep these things at bay having to keep the doors and windows shut day and night and they still got in
> we found it better the other side of scotland not as many midges there
> but we hated the west coast  so much we drove fron dundee back to dorset in one hit
> god it was nice to get home



A bee-keepers hat keeps bees out !!! My midge hood is designed with an extremely fine mesh and I can assure you that it works !!


----------



## christine (Mar 28, 2009)

Same with fly screens, make sure they are the smallest mesh available. We made our own and stick them up with velcro. You can buy Scottish midge proof netting on line.

http://www.profabrics.co.uk/shop/show_product_info.php?id=MM351-99


----------



## Deleted member 4850 (Mar 29, 2009)

There may be some midges out by the end of May but they won't be nearly as fearsome then...July and August are the worst, but many days if there's a breeze or once the sun is up, there's no problem. It's dawn, dusk and still, damp days that are bad.

There's at least one campsite between Fort William and Mallaig that has midegeaters - Camusdarach I think - and they really do help...worth checking out. We;re heading up there at the same time - heading for Skye - so watch out for the wildy hoodies!


----------



## tresrikay (Mar 30, 2009)

On 3 July trips to scotland, have only had trouble once with the midges and that was before we found Avon "Skin so soft" but it has to be the body spray in the blue bottle and believe me they hate it even though it smells very nice, as it is non oily you can keep it near at hand and replenish every half hour.... we sit out in shorts and t'shirts and never get bothered.


----------



## ajs (Mar 30, 2009)

tresrikay said:


> i sit out in shorts and t'shirt and never get bothered.


 
am i supreeezed 

regards
ajs


----------



## salopian (Mar 31, 2009)

bodgerndog said:


> There may be some midges out by the end of May but they won't be nearly as fearsome then...July and August are the worst, but many days if there's a breeze or once the sun is up, there's no problem. It's dawn, dusk and still, damp days that are bad.
> 
> There's at least one campsite between Fort William and Mallaig that has midegeaters - Camusdarach I think - and they really do help...worth checking out. We;re heading up there at the same time - heading for Skye - so watch out for the wildy hoodies!



Yes !!! i stayed there once and saw it emptied.. there was a sackful in there... The site you mentioned is adjacent to the beach that parts of "Local Hero" was filmed and is not cheap !!!....Just as you turn off the main Mallaig road at silver sands there is a small car park with a toilet big enough to overnight on with stupendous views of the beach and river...Just look at an OS map and where you see the PC signs usually means a car park or picnic area.. this is how I find my wildcamping spots up in Caledonia...


----------



## Pioneer (Mar 31, 2009)

We use the skin so soft from Avon,(blue spray nozzle) and when sat out or in use citronella candles.
Perhaps the Avon does'nt work for everybody but worth a try.
Last year during one evening, I was watching three young Scottish lads fly fishing, they had covered head to toe in different nets, and I was in shorts and T, I let them use the Avon, and off came the nets. Try it.

Happy Camping


----------



## sparrks (Mar 31, 2009)

Hi,

I found that different things work for different people, the little buggers just love my flesh. However the Avon skin so-soft seems to be about the best.

One product that i can certainly recomended for once you have been bitten is Malt Vinegar. applied every half an hour for the 1st 4 hrs or so the bite will just remain as a red mark and not even itch after the first day. Ive found that to be the most effective after bite solution, and cheapest.

Hope this helps someone

From a cloudy Glen Coe

Paul

PS the anti midge hats with mesh are a life saver Well worth the money


----------



## cipro (Mar 31, 2009)

We went in may 2004 and had no midge probs also perhaps a one 
off but the weather was brill we were prepared for the blitters though.


----------



## sagart (Apr 1, 2009)

t&s said:


> dont go there it is hell !
> a bee keepers hat is not enough to keep these things at bay having to keep the doors and windows shut day and night and they still got in
> we found it better the other side of scotland not as many midges there
> but we hated the west coast  so much we drove fron dundee back to dorset in one hit
> god it was nice to get home



A bit over the top for us who live and work up here!
A trip to your Gp. for anti-histamine tablets works for me (and I'm a carrier of adrenaline for severe reaction to stings). The beasties bite, but the body barely reacts, while a 12v insect killer keeps the van free of them.
Don't park in damp hollows and try to keep where there is a breeze above about 2mph.Have I mentioned a swarm of flying ants I endured outside Bridport?
As a side matter, Dundee rarely gets midges and is, actually, on the east coast. "we hated the west coast  so much we drove fron dundee back to dorset in one hit"


----------



## Basil (Apr 1, 2009)

sagart said:


> A bit over the top for us who live and work up here!
> A trip to your Gp. for anti-histamine tablets works for me (and I'm a carrier of adrenaline for severe reaction to stings). The beasties bite, but the body barely reacts, while a 12v insect killer keeps the van free of them.
> Don't park in damp hollows and try to keep where there is a breeze above about 2mph.Have I mentioned a swarm of flying ants I endured outside Bridport?
> As a side matter, Dundee rarely gets midges and is, actually, on the east coast. "we hated the west coast  so much we drove fron dundee back to dorset in one hit"



It's the same with Mosquitoes, they don't like any breeze


----------



## SunsetSeeker (Apr 2, 2009)

*If You can't avoid them----*

If you can't avoid the little b^%%3rs try this.  It's fantastic.

http://www.millets.co.uk/product/090596.html


----------



## bob690 (Apr 2, 2009)

kalamitty said:


> we are thinking of heading up to fort william and upwards about the middle of may, does anyone know when the midges start coming out in force, i know about the avon cream etc, but sometimes they can be to much that you can't even have the door open on the van. anyone help?


Hi people, just had to say, Ive toured all over Scotland many times, the beasties dont start till mid June. If its sunny or windy you dont see them, damp still evenings are the worst, and if you keep to the coasts you should be a lot better than say stopping mid country next to moorland. Dont let the hype about midges put you off visiting a truly stunning country.


----------



## koolskool (Apr 6, 2009)

stevek said:


> Youll be fine in May.Expect them to start in june



Sorry Stevek,..this is misleading!

We went last May to Fort William, but stayed one night at Loch Long on the way up. Upon arriving at the loch long campsite we met a geordie lad who told me that he was on his way back from Oban because during his stay himself and his wife had been "scranned alive" by midges. He wasnt kidding, he must have had 200 bites on his wrists and ankles!! as we were talking, I beagn to realise that the midges were swarming around us and by the next morning I had half a dozen bites. This was nothing compared to what awaited us at Fort William!!

Glen Nevis Campsite at Fort William was lovely, but the midges were hell and we tried all manner of citronella candles and sprays, but the fact was you could not open the van doors for half a minute without having hundreds of midges flying in. 

My wife had the most bites. 

We moved north afterwards as far as we could and stopped at gairloch on the coast. This was far better as the strong sea breeze seems to keep midges away. Midges seem to prefer muggy damp and still evenings with no wind. They like lochside locations...take my advice, get the beekeepers suit :it may save your sanity, even if it ruins your street cred. 

Scotland is lovely, it is a shame that it is blighted by midgeys. I will not return between april and october in future.  

Not sure if this is an old wives tale or not but somebody told me that if you eat raw garlic daily for 2 weeks before you go, then the midges will simply leave you alone...might be worth a try!

Good luck anyway, hope your stay is a midge free one!

Pete


----------



## oTTo (Apr 6, 2009)

Would it help to run a roof ventilator with full power to blow the midges out???
Any experiences?


----------



## Deleted member 5816 (Apr 6, 2009)

*midges*

The easiest way to remove midges from inside your motorcaravan is to use a cordless or 12v car vac suck them up and if not a sealed vac place vac in a plastic bag untill safe to go outside again.
We have done this scores of times whilst on the west coast of scotland.

Alf


----------

