Midge forecast

So, as a change to the alps this year, we have decided to head up to Scotland for a couple of weeks or so…. However, whilst packing the van, I heard that it is a particularly midgey year!

anyone up there, been up recently who can report?

As we live in Cornwall, it’s a long way to go to end up midged out!

Me and the boy were planning on bikepacking west highland way too but that appears to be the worst of the midges at the moment

cheers all

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/19/midges-thriving-wet-scottish-summer-worse-to-come

Read it and weep. Very much depends where you want to go, but it looks like a pretty midge year.

Haha that’s the article I saw ?

I live in Glencoe.  It’s not really been a problem in the village this year.  On tour round the southern highlands last week. A few midgey moments when out and about but solved by heading on.

Scotland is pretty big. This is like asking ‘is it raining in England’, Cumbria or Kent?

To add, on the East coast we had a wet early spring but it hasn’t been that wet a summer and as normal there are next to no midges.

All part of the Scottish experience – enjoy the bastards.

(and remember it’s only the female that bites).

PS: it’s the clegs you have to watch out for

As long as there is a breeze then it should be ok (or Not as bad as it could be – as I keep getting told!).
Stirling area seems to be larger flying things and clegs predominantly…midges have been fewer this year (so far!).
Enjoy the trip.

MrsIHN is walking across Knoydart in a couple of weeks, any ideas how midgeyfied that might be?

“They mostly come at night. Mostly”

I have been working on the west coast and islands, it was way less midgy than I was expecting from previous jobs.

It’s all situational though, I know plenty places I wouldn’t go of an evening as you’ll be devoured, but at a different time you’ll be fine

On a bike you’re fine, take a midge net for repair stops

We’re all going to die.

Will be a good for whatever eats them though. What does eat them?

The Scottish Midge Forecast

IHN – it all depends on conditions.  Walking you are OK anyway – the little beggars have a top speed of 4 km /hr so they only fly in wind lower than this and cannot catch up with you while walking

They are also very localised – one spot could be midge death, half a mile away no issue.

What does eat them?

Swifts swallows, martins, bats, cyclists

In scotland for the last few days (Loch Rannoch area). Not a midge to be seen. Perhaps too cold and windy. I’m not camping mind you, the evenings might be worse. One cleg bite (caught immediately, no swelling) and a couple of ticks (ditto) is the score so far. Not too much like a dartboard yet!

Cheers Teej

MrsIHN is walking across Knoydart in a couple of weeks, any ideas how midgeyfied that might be?

Just keep pebbles in your pockets and throw rocks at them – she’ll be fine.

Head flies are the worst.

At walking pace – or a slow cycle uphill – they just hang around being annoying, the bastards, Their scientific name says it all: Hydrotaea irritans.

This year hasn’t been too bad, so far.

(Photo taken 1 July last year in Stirling)

:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1TufSbSBBLpyey5a7

Galloway not a midge to be seen, Borders not a midge. East beats West in lack of midge.

But I’ll guess you’ll be heading to the fleshpots of the western Highlands. This is where we export all our midges on the catch and release program

Remember when you reach Gretna there’s still 370 miles to John o Groats. The more you head to where it’s wild the longer it takes. When the Sat nav indicates an Avery journey speed of 30mph it’s being optimistic.

I have been cycling for a week in Scotland and Sea Kayaking for a week. There have been a few midges but really only in the evening when the wind has dropped.

To be honest the relentless rain has be more of a problem..

That said we had a great time, Scotland is a truly beautiful place wind great scenery are great wildlife.

Just go nothing in Scotland will be as annoying as the traffic in Cornwall.

Swift swallows martinis, bats cyclists

FTFY

just got done with walking the WHW and we didn’t see any. Also had no rain. Reckon there was something odd going on that week.

Midges don’t like heavy rain, they don’t like wind if it’s more than a gentle breeze and they definitely don’t like strong sun.  They don’t like cold. Unfortunately the average west of Scotland summer is often dampish, with light winds and patchy sun or wholly cloudy days.

Midge heaven.

• More seriously  don’t camp amongst trees, or next to water try to find a breezy spot. Midge repellents do work to some extent and midge nets are effective , a smokey fire can help if fires are permitted. In many areas they’re not.

Going on holiday for a week in August near Loch Rannoch. A couple of family members react badly to insect bites. Wish me luck…

Smidge works.  Its a a real game changer.

Smidge, nets and awareness of when they are out, you will be alright.*
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*Two types of midge attack.
One when you wonder if you will die.
Another when you hope you will die.

Mwhaahahahaha

I was near loch Lomond last week. It was fine. Some midges around but did not stop me doing anything (apart from standing around outside in the evening). I did not use any insect repellant.

I truely hate midges. When bitten (not if, when) I turn into an itchy, swollen and blotchy mess.

Smidge really does help. Ignore anything to do with Skin so Soft, I find that I just become a slippery sweet-smelling itchy swollen blotchy mess.

Once bitten Anthistan is brilliant at alleviating the effects of the bites.

@robola

hence the title midge forecast, so if anyones up there we can see where’s bad and where’s not, so we can plan where to go and where to reconsider!

Cheers all

sounds like tabloid fear mongering.

we know Scotland well and have some plans, mostly away from the fleshpots but bikepacking the WHW with the 9 yr old is going to be tough for him anyway, so was getting a bit reticent after reading the midgeapocalipse article!

sounding like a once in a decade midge season, sounds like it’s mostly nonsense and just the usual quantities

thanks

No doubt there are more than usual.  However that does not mean the entire country is coverd in a thick blanket of them

I would honestly be more concerned about mosquitoes around crianlarich. They are really unpleasant bastards and best avoided altogether.

+1 on Horseflies, mosquitos and similar being more regularly an issue.

Looking at the Smidge forecast, and other reports on this thread of the lack of midges, it seems most areas are doing fine – generally less than I would expect at this time of year? Perhaps where it’s bad, it’s worse than usual? Or just silly season for the media means it’s getting a few column inches?

Relieved to see that the south west is excaping the worst at the moment, since we’ve just booked a week in early September in a place called Glenmidge.

As TJ says, it’s very localised… hyper-localised really. Out for a walk the other week on the edge of Kielder forest (some of the worst midges I’ve ever encountered have been here) and they were bad in sheltered parts of the forest, so we picked the most exposed spot we could for lunch. Sat on some boulders, and there were clouds of midges in the shelter of them, but sat up in the breeze, feet away, we were mostly fine. Dicing with death though, once or twice there was a lull in the wind and they pounced. Smidge did it’s job, except where I made the rookie error of missing the bottom of my back and not tucknig my t-shirt in.

Isle of Mull – Get the ocassional nibble around the ankles when I take the dogs out early morning or late evening, but nothing really in the last few weeks. We’ve had mainly cold northerlies most of the summer – there are very few insects, the hedgehogs are out in daytime searching for food. The hens have started their post-summer moult already as they think it’s autumn.

Ticks have been really bad this year

Ticks, I hate the b@#%$&@s remember pull straight out with tweezers  or twist them out with a tick tool . Deticking pets and myself has been a nightime routine for far too long.

It’s been an odd year for flies, cleggs & midges.

I’m normally pretty immune to everything but this year I’ve picked up loads of ticks, had numerous clegg bites and been bothered by the midges even down here in the Borders (where it’s not normally an issue for me).

But, just been in the Highlands for a couple of days, bikepacking.  None during the day and also camped overnight on the beach by Loch Laggan, zero wind and absolutely no midges whatsoever.  Did get a few clagg bites though coming out of Glen Lyon going north.

Another for Ticks (and Clegs) – I’ve been lucky as not been bothered with midges this year, but I’m pulling off several ticks from my body after pretty much every ride (I pulled 5 off my legs yesterday and 2 off my arm at Comrie on Saturday); Clegs are definitely in abundance as well. Seems to be a lot more flying things about, but I’ve somehow managed to avoid the midges.

I get the feeling the weather has just sort of disturbed the whole thing rather than being necessarily better or worse? Like, I’ve barely seen a midge at my place since I moved in but this year there’s loads. But none of the little black flies we normally get.

Myself & Daughter we attacked by midges at Nevis Range after our runs down the mountain/World Cup Track last Wednesday, still itchy now.

Although Boat of Garten, Aviemore and Loch Morlich and Loch Ness were midge free.

Friends were in Torridon at the weekend. Those waiting in the carpark for the vans to shuttle did an extra 4km trying to dodge midges.
Then the rain started 🙂