Current Midgie Scale - NW Scot

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 drunken monkey 08 Jun 2018

Hi folks - anyone got first hand info on the current state of play with regards to Midgies in the Skye/Kintail/Glenelg area?

On a scale of nae bad to certain death/sucked dry, how bad are they?

Cheers

 twiggy 08 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Glenbrittle was fairly grim late May in the mornings/evenings.... it'll only be getting worse!

In reply to drunken monkey:

Having just got back from a short trip to Skye, I can confirm they are really, really bad. Maybe not a 10/10, but 8/10 down low and maybe even a 6/10 on top of the ridge itself. 

To make matters worse there isn’t a breath of wind forecast for the next few days, plus it’s supposed to rain, so I’m writing Scotland off for the time being!

 subtle 08 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Yup, the midges are out, worse when in the shade/at dusk/when no wind

Its no worse / better than any other year though.

In reply to Mark Bull:

Cheers Folks - I'm off to Glenelg tomorrow for the dirty 30 ultra.

best not plan standing still for any length of time!

 Simon Caldwell 08 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Sounds like we timed it right then, we were camping on the northern end of Skye last Sunday and Monday and happily wandering about in shorts and T shirts without a single midge bite. The previous week on Lewis and Harris we only had half an hour or so when they started to get mildly annoying.

 Cam Forrest 08 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey: Interesting. Etive Slabs yesterday had virtually none by mid-afternoon when we had to leave. Good sun and light breeze. (And only one other pair there! Back in the 60s and 70s it would have been heaving in weather like this, even mid-week).

 

In reply to drunken monkey:

No problems up here in Gairloch. Lovely weather for 3 weeks with only 1 day of rain. Have also been in Sutherland Foinaven way. Also very few midges. It will get worse but an excellent may June so far. As a Highlander midges don't, bother me 

 coinneach 08 Jun 2018
In reply to Simon Caldwell:

similar, I was camping at Sligachan Thursday / Friday last week and they only came out late ( just in time for me to take a wee dram to bed )

 

 Robert Durran 08 Jun 2018
In reply to subtle:

> Its no worse / better than any other year though.

These threads are really quite amusing. It's summer, so there will be midges in Scotland (and Wales, and the Lakes and the Peak...........) and they'll come out if there's no wind.

Oh, and there's also this thing called insect repellant - I'm frequently amazed at people who won't put it on moaning about midges.

 

Post edited at 22:31
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 ben b 08 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

I was in Invergarry last week, and it was pretty standard June conditions: OK if there was some breeze but hard work otherwise.

Some satisfaction on the LAMM (Isle of Harris) as it was so hot and humid, and steep uphill, that I had a few hundred midges land on my arms etc and promptly drown before they could bite. Hah! That will teach them.

And for the sake of Robert, that was with regular slatherings of 100% DEET.

 Dr.S at work 08 Jun 2018
In reply to ben b:

random question - did you fly from Inverness to Bristol on Monday?

 

 

 Robert Durran 08 Jun 2018
In reply to ben b:

> And for the sake of Robert, that was with regular slatherings of 100% DEET.

Midges still land on me with Deet and Smidge but they don't bite (and are therefore only mildly annoying). So it was probably the Deet, not the sweat that stopped them biting.

 

1
Removed User 08 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Peak midge any day now on Harris and Lewis. As soon as it rains and the humidity increases it'll be midge armageddon.

 Joak 09 Jun 2018
In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:

I camped in the wee campsite in Gairloch a week ago as a base for the Torridon hills. Just back from three days camping in Kintail, with one wee foray to the Cuillin for a day. Midge free apart from one windless breakfast. Rolled ma sleeves doon and donned a head net. Problem solved. I can't believe the hype and hysteria these wee beasties attract, year after year. They're part and parcel of the heilans.  

 Jenny C 09 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Travelling back from a week in skye as I type. 

Camping at sigathlan they were true man eaters last night swarming round the tents, but mostly weve been lucky and the wind has kept them off or at least at tolerable levels which could be controlled with long clothing and repellant.

 

 Fiona Reid 09 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

A few nibbles in Glen Sheil (east end) today but enough breeze that your could sit and eat your lunch without issue. Super hot and humid. 

In reply to drunken monkey:

Like others here I was also camping at Sligachan recently and got 'midged'. They seem especially mean this year. I think it would hurt less if an actual person bit you tbh! 

We also had them on the ridge, even in a breeze. Perhaps bring a bee keepers suit? 

In reply to Joak:

Aye -you've got it spot on. How's your retirement going?

 Jenny C 09 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Bf didn't use repellant and the next day looked like he had measles but after 48 hrs they have pretty much gone. 

I on the other hand was coated on repellant so got very few bites but 24 hrs on they  start to mature and enter the itchy phase. I can cope with being bitten, but itching like a scabby dog and still having lumps that look like I have bubonic plague  a week later isn't fun. (give me mosquitos any day, a more painful bite but usually smaller numbers and much less itchy) 

??????On the plus side we both appear to have avoided the ticks. 

 ben b 09 Jun 2018
In reply to Dr.S at work:

Glasgow to Southampton sunday, LHR to Sydney tuesday, but nothing on monday thank god!

b

 Joak 09 Jun 2018
In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:

Muckin Farvelous, if ye get ma drift.    After a stunning winter in the Scottish mountains, Spring hisnae been too shabby either. Bone dry with easterly winds favouring the Western Highlands.... Hold the bus, it's Midge season........There's no pleasing some folk eh.    

 Dave the Rave 10 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Never mind the midgies I’m recovering from an adder bite received at Rothiemircus.

Rigid Raider 10 Jun 2018
In reply to Dave the Rave:

I had a client who got himself bitten by a sand viper in Haute Savoie when I was a Ramblers leader. He refused the anti-venom and was back on the hill two days later shaking trees and lifting boulders, looking for more snakes to collect. He had a special herpatologist's permit to bring reptiles home.

What were your symptoms?

 Rich W Parker 10 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Currently off the scale.

In reply to Rich W Parker:

In which direction?

T.

 Dave the Rave 10 Jun 2018
In reply to Rigid Raider:

The fecker got me on the ankle as I nearly trod on it. It was nine at night and we had just driven 7 hours and pitched up. The midges were out and we were knackered.

Initially my symptoms were ‘ feckin hell, you Kent’.

It fecked off and I bled the wound as much as possible.

I decided to monitor the bite with a bottle of Newcy brown and put some  of my whisky on it.

After an hour the midge bites were worse than the adder bite, and not being too worried I went to bed. 

In the morning the bite was a bit swollen but I had no other symptoms other than being knackered. 

Went up Ben Wyvis after a flat sausage buttie in Aviemore then drove to Keswick as the weather remained shite. 

 icehockeyhair 11 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

Was in Torridon at the weekend. Now look like I have some terrible disease. Not much wind in the glen compounded with a poor choice of campsite by me when I arrived late on Friday evening.

 Fidget 11 Jun 2018
In reply to drunken monkey:

 I’ve just been to the north-west for some hiking for the weekend. Yes fairly bad, but didn’t put a downer on the trip. As long as you are armed with a midgenets, and some antihistamines to stop the itching, it is manageable. I would still go. 


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