UKH

Planning a wild camping trip taking in all the Cairngorms 4000 thousanders can’t decide between late June or mid August any thoughts please

Whenever anybody tells you that the population of midges is least high and concentrated.

I'd say go for early June, not even late June. There's a chance that there will be fewer around than normal, due to the cold April, but it may not take long for them to rev up to huge swarming numbers.

Alternatively September. Religious government (X 2) Covid-19 restrictions and rulings may be clearer and better defined by then. (Or it could be then that there is the 3rd rise of Covid numbers)!

Yeah, go as soon as you can. You may miss not only most of the midges but won’t be in school holidays.

On another note, my last two planned cairngorm ,high wildcamps were in 2019. I had to abandon these due to thunder storms which are always more risky in the afternoon. Keep an eye on the forecasts and be prepared to change plans/be up high early.

Maybe not much help, but I did the same last (mid) July - I found the crowds on Cairngorm and Ben Macdui thinned out after that and hardly saw anyone else until day two and running back in past Corrour Bothy (which looked packed). Added a little detour to camp overnight in Glen Lui for bit more shelter and access to water and was lucky with it not being too midgy. I left my pack mostly ready to go and just kept an eye out for the most benign forecast.

I had the worst midgeing of my life in August in Glen Tilt - classic, early evening dying away of the breeze and the swines leap out of the grass! Go early/late or camp as high as you can to stay sane (relatively).

I hope this doesn't sound facetious but I prefer November or  February (I know that's not what you asked). I love solo solitude in the hills and mountains. 

A couple of years ago I foolishly walked from Ogwen Cottage to Cwm Idwal on a warm sunny summer Bank Holiday. The path up was just heaving with people. My fault, I know, and I was part of it all, but I thought - never again on a day like this 

It has to be said that the Cairngorms can be a bit challenging for camping in winter, especially February. But MWIS forecasting would give you a fair stab at it if you know what you're doing.

Absolutely, challenging, and to be treated with care

I agree, but tend to save time by mostly staying in bunkhouses. I usually annually head to Scotland in December, just a little prior to Christmas, or occasionally a little earlier.

I often get the comment," we don't usually get tourists at this time of year", and consequently I get the bunk house mostly to myself. 

I go at that time of year for the challenge of navigation, and not uncommonly get to the top of the Munro, or hill, in the dark. (So I always take more clothes, and a bivvy bag, just in case). Sometimes I have fun trying to cycle in big boots on a bike with toe-clips, in a modest amount of snow on the estate tracks.

Cairngorms varies but the midge season is normally a good month behind the west coast. Most of June is normally OK, sure you can get midged but the chance of a bad midging is much less. By August I agree they can be pretty full on and you should expect issues on still days when its not sunny. Either way I'd take some midge spray and a midge net

I wouldn't really call feb quiet its peak winter season in scotland. For many of the mountain crags (like the ben / northern corries / glen coe north facing corries for example) it can be the busiest time of year. Autumn is the quietest season by far. September is normally pretty quiet and Oct Nov the quietest normally.

December does have a tendency for mild wet weather though. I suppose really its like any time of year in the Uk mountains stay flexible book last minute,