Me and the missus are trying to plan the summer holiday for us and the weans (5 + 7 yo).
I’ve been pushing the idea taking the campervan up round Torridon etc for biking, hill walking, swimming, canoeing, bbq etc etc. It’s a lovely part of the world.
She, being slightly more sensible, remembers that Torridon is midgie hell, especially in July and August. She has visions of stroppy kids marooned in the van, getting eaten alive whenever we open the door to try to go out.

At roughly the point when the kids arrived and we moved south from Glasgow I seem to remember that various campsites started using midgie killers to control the swarms. I think they squirted out CO2 as a bait and then presumably killed the midgies somehow so they could be taken away to landfill. The plan was that the immediate vicinity of the killers would be relatively midge free, even in summer.

Do they work?
Is it possible to have a family camping holiday in summer in northern Scotland?
Am I mad?

They catch midges, you can see the collected ones, but it’s like peeing on a forest fire.

Yes of course it’s possible to have a family camping holiday in summer in Northern Scotland!

You’re not mad, but you do need to make sure your expectations are in check. Take plenty of smidge, some headnets for when it’s really bad and you’ll be fine. A tent which has a large porch is useful when camping with family since it gives you somewhere to eat breakfast/dinner without being feasted on yourself.

I’m a forestry worker in Scotland, so needless to say I am far too well acquainted with midges for my own liking.

Been using the spray on repellent called Smidge over the past two summers. Is proving to be very effective this year, less so last year. Wonder if midges’ responsiveness varies with each hatch.

Bought the Smidge at Tiso, not sure where else to get it.

Smidge for the win.

And yes, midge eaters can make a big difference. They need to be located well.

And you can also use Thermacell’s to keep away all sorts of flying beasties – they work well in low wind, but don’t ask what they do to any insect within 20′ of you…