UKC

What is the midge situation in Glencoe,Ben Nevis and Skye during late August..I don't want to drive all the way from Cornwall just to get eaten alive!

In reply to alpboy57:

I'm afraid they can be insufferably bad in August (and even in early September - they typically disappear around Sept 10-15).

In reply to alpboy57:

You don't want to tangle with midges - you'll come off worst. However, I was told that Mr Simpson in Lochinver does a nice line in midge hoods - I should give him a try...

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Unfortunately these days you still get midges until mid October and ticks all the year round!

In reply to alpboy57:

The midges in the west coast at that time of year can be dire especially early morning and in the evening if it is calm. The good news is it is rarely that calm in Scotland and as long as it's breezy and you keep moving you'll be ok. If it's been dry for several weeks it'll be ok too.

Personally I get in the car and head for the Alps at 70 mph!

Another trick used by the locals is to keep running about screaming "Ya wee B******s" and waving your arms about, that scares most things off!

On a more serious note they are less of a problem on the east coast and can actually be just as bad or even worse in the lake district.

Just buy lots of anti-midge cream and a midge net. When climbing always lead and if you care about your second make sure you can complete the pitch quickly.

Scotland has lots of fantastic world class multi-pitch climbing in fantastic remote scenic mountain and coastal areas.

Just avoid camping in a sheltered hollow next to a stream and you'll have a great time.

In reply to alpboy57: whats the score with open fires in scotland, dont the smoke effect the midges and they wont come near you!

In reply to phil_freeman: open fires check out Scottish Outdoor Access Code.. although generally wooly in most situations its a no unless you're sure of what the soil is beneath it, there's no tree cover above, and you get the fire out properly.. don't want to be fighting heather fires again because some numpty (not implying anything here) throws away still warm sticks into dry heather again.

Midges in August... yuck
Midges in August around the Ben and Glencoe even more Yuck

best stuff Ive found if you don't want to smell like the avon lady is Neem which you can get from Hillbillies in Gairloch works for me just as well as the herbal stuff but doesn't smell as good. Midge hoods are great as are the apiary jackets we use at work.