Scotland Scottish Midges

BBR

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Brian
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Anyone care to advise on whether I will be plagued by midges in the first week of May up on the coast nera Loch Ewe/Melvaig area? I was told they started in June but have since been told that is wrong.

If so is there anything worth buying with regard to protection/deterrent?
 
Just hope you have dry wind, mind you with that Scotterish beer....
 
When I was in Arran, I was told that drinking beer was a good midge repellant. I wasn't going to argue!


Steve.
 
Best stuff is by Avon skin so soft , google it and look on ebay . That what I use and I was a fish supper to the we F*****rs...
 
It depends on the weather. If its warm enough in May then they will usually start to appear, but not normally in huge numbers and not biting too badly.
The wind, or bright sunshine will keep them at bay. Calm overcast days brings them out more.
Skin so soft, or smidge would be handy to have just incase.
 
With the cool and damp start to spring I'd bet early May would be fairly safe ... but I'm not the one getting bit.
 
I'd take two repellants. Something like Jungle Formula which contains DEET and Avon Skin so Soft. The DEET one is very good but IMO a truly horrible concoction -it melts plastic, stings if it gets in the eyes and numbs your lips. Avon Skin so Soft, I find, does not last as long but is much more pleasant to use.

Almost impossible to say if there will be midges then. First week in May is a bit early for them but it has been a mild winter in the NW and the last few weeks have, apart from about four splendidly hot days, been fairly wet (in Gairloch it rained for 13 hours last Wednesday). If there is a warm spell soon there could be some around.

Midges are a small price to pay for such a great area.

Dave
 
I found Smidge to be excellent. They claim it works for most skin types. If it works for yours that would be what I would use. Avon changed their recipe and I'm not sure it's as good.
DEET has it's place when the risk is malaria.
 
I'd take two repellants. Something like Jungle Formula which contains DEET and Avon Skin so Soft. The DEET one is very good but IMO a truly horrible concoction -it melts plastic, stings if it gets in the eyes and numbs your lips. Avon Skin so Soft, I find, does not last as long but is much more pleasant to use.

Almost impossible to say if there will be midges then. First week in May is a bit early for them but it has been a mild winter in the NW and the last few weeks have, apart from about four splendidly hot days, been fairly wet (in Gairloch it rained for 13 hours last Wednesday). If there is a warm spell soon there could be some around.

Midges are a small price to pay for such a great area.

Thans Dave

I agree with your last comment. I have been to NW Scotland many times but up till now always in Autumn.
I know from experience that wherever there are midges/mosquitoes I seem to be a target and my skin does not react well!

Dave
 
I just heid butt the wee nyaffs.
 
I found Smidge to be excellent. They claim it works for most skin types. If it works for yours that would be what I would use. Avon changed their recipe and I'm not sure it's as good.
DEET has it's place when the risk is malaria.
Avon still sell a product call Avon Skin So Soft Original. Whether it is the same recipe as the old stuff I can't say.
 
Avon still sell a product call Avon Skin So Soft Original. Whether it is the same recipe as the old stuff I can't say.

Thanks Andy. Not sure what the original is- possibly even just to distinguish between the green and the pink. I think the first one was called woodland fresh or maybe pine but can't remember now.
Forgive poor quality photo but wasn't wanting a full on product shoot and almost just used the phone sans flash but found a happy medium:).
Bottle on the left is oldest one then they switched to the other one which I don't think is as good- looks like the 'original' labelling is now the latest. I also recall some shenanigans in the states because they couldn't claim to be an insect repellent and all that so not sure if some of the changes were driven from that- they do now make a 'bug guard' supposedly using combo of ingredients that were in Skin So Soft plus some additional ones. No idea if any good.

As I said Smidge is the best I have used- certainly for 'eco friendly' stuff- Skin So Soft still had them land to an extent but often they'd drown in the oil but Smidge gives you peace in that they don't bother you at all.


anti-midge by Dr_Ozone, on Flickr
 
I have now returned from my break in Scotland (Melvaig, Gairloch). I am pleased to say that despite being armed with two cans of smidge we were not bothered by them at all. Of course, had I not taken your advice to buy the repellent we would probably not have been so lucky.

Photography wise I managed to get some photos of an otter. The photos themselves are pants but it proves I waited for hours to see him/her.
Didn't manage to see the sea eagles or any whales despite waiting for hours on Loch Marie (for the Eagles) and two sea trips, nonetheless had a good trip.

Thanks again for your help.
 
Glad you enjoyed it, Brian. The little blighters are frustrating alright - when they're out in force, it can be horrific but when they're not you genuinely wonder what all the fuss is about.

I had to change a flat tyre in Aviemore a couple of years ago - middle of a forest track. I think I inhaled half a pound of midges by the end of that exercise.

Other times they've been ok, but as you say: better to be prepared and not need it than the other way around.
 
Glad you had a good time, Brian and that you did not get eaten. As a matter of interest where was the otter?

As with anything else you are really loking for, spotting the sea eagles is hit and miss. In the last week of March and first half of April I saw four in the Gairloch/Poolewe area- one over Loch Tournaig, one over Gairloch and two at Cove, but in the previous five visits spread over a period of 14 months or so I saw none.

Dave
 
The otter was around the lighthouse north of melvaig. he seemed to start from just north of the 'Jerry' at around half tide on a falling tide. We saw him twice. Once by chance on a walk and the second time I laid in wait for around two hours. Although I was a fair distance away as soon as he saw me he disappeared. Even with a 400mm lens with 1.4 tc I was still too far to get any good shots.
 
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