Midges & Netted Hats

https://www.livebreathescotland.com/midges-in-scotland/

Hi,
We took Coghlan’s No See Um Head Nets to Scotland. You can find them online.

Thank you for the recommendation.

Thank you for the great information.

Just returned from 7 days in central Scotland, (Loch Tay, Aberfeldy, Killin with side trips to Stirling and Fort William). We took several hikes and spent some evenings on the shore of the Loch. Midges were no problem. Good luck.

Check out the Smidge Forecast interactive map that indicates how annoying the midges might be in a given area. Depending where you plan to visit & hike a netted hat might be handy to have.

https://www.smidgeup.com/midge-forecast/

We copped midges often up north. They are only a problem at certain times in certain areas in certain conditions. We picked up a couple of midge nets at Raasay House. We had got bombarded a couple of times in previous evenings.
Better to have them there if you need them, small cost and take no space.
I remember a lady trying to put up her tent on the grass in the campground at Torridon on a still evening. She was near hysterical until we threw her one of our masks.

We hiked the West Highland Way in 2018 in late August/early September. We took nets but never needed them. The midges were noticeable outside one hotel in the highlands, but as soon as we left the hotel, they were not a problem. Buy some midge spray and that should be fine (at least it was for us).

When are you coming to Scotland and where in Scotland will you be travelling? Those are the key questions. Midges are mostly restricted to the Highlands and Islands in the west of Scotland (e.g. Glencoe, Fort William, Skye etc). They arrive in early June and are generally not a problem after August. They like damp, still, cloudy conditions. Direct sunlight or a breeze or more than 5 mph and you won't notice them about. We use midge head nets (not hats), which fold up really small and can be pulled out of a backpack when needed. You won't be bothered by them in Orkney/Shetland or on the east coast.

Jacqui (Skyegirl)

PS: The Smidge midge website mentioned above is a marketing tool by the company that makes the most popular repellent. Their stuff works!

Well, I can say that today on Orkney with sustained winds of 30mph gusting to 46, there were no midges, lol.

Ditto Shetland, only add a "bit "to to the wind... never saw one. And not walking through parks in Aberdeen either, with no wind to speak of.