MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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When is it safe to ride 7 Staines without offering up your body as midge food ?
Never - not worth the trip. Move along, nothing to see here.
(May - August is the worst time, but they can get you at any time - but TBH you don't get proper midges south of Stirling, they prefer the highlands and the west coast in particular 😉 )
It's never that bad mate, at least in the Tweed valley. Can't ever remember it being a problem and I ride there regularly.
Been midgified in the Pentlands once or twice, so maybe you need water nearby to get them going?
As long as you're riding, you'll be fine. Just don't have any punctures....
Avon skin-so-soft works to an extent. As said though, its mainly a problem on the west coast further north.
We got them bad in Afan in June last year!
The type of midges in the lowlands aren't a problem, and you won't really have any issues riding in the borders. It's when you up north (from about loch lomond up) the tiny little ****ers just destroy you big style - (do NOT stop)unless you use something to keep them away.
TBH you don't get proper midges south of Stirling
You ever been to Galloway Forest Park? ****ers can block out the sun there and strip an Englishman to the bone in seconds...
Course us Scots are immune. 😉
As said above, you'll be fine as long as you don't stop, ever, at all, for any reason whatsoever. Whatever you do - [b]KEEP GOING![/b][/u]
what about Cairngorms (in June.............)??
Look - the midge [i]can[/i] be a bit of a problem, but we're not talking about piranha or anything. MTFU, use some [url= http://avonshop.co.uk/shop/product.asp?src_page=topten.asp&level1_id=&level2_id=&pdept_id=&dept_id=&pf_id=4982 ]Avon SSS[/url] and just get on with it. Or avoid coming altogether and leave the trails for the rest of us.
Worst I've ever seen 'em was at a camp site near Keilder Water. Got tortured by huge clouds of them and had to spend a whole beautiful summer's evening in my tiny tent. My whole body was red and swollen - and I'm not allergic, and my folks live on Skye, and I'm Scottish.....
If you get them bad, they really can ruin your life.
If I'm going somewhere that I know will be bad for them I take an anti-histamine tablet pre-ride. They still bite you but the bites do not swell up or get itchy.