Scotland Midges

Buy a bottle of Smidge. You can find it at any sporting good store in Scotland and in many pharmacies or even supermarkets during midge season.

Fortunately, if it's raining or windy they don't come out. Wearing long sleeves, long pants and even a mosquito net hat helps.

I can't help you in regard to Scottish midgets. I don't any.

Please clarify. Are you asking about Scottish little people ( the derogatory midget) or the annoying swarming and biting insects (midges). We bought some Smidge at a chemist shop when we arrived in Glasgow. Seemed to work well. We also wore long sleeves and pants as Frank suggests.

I’m sure it was predictive text and not meant as insulting or derogatory.

Hi, disneygal61,

We've had pretty good luck with Repel, which is available in the U.S. on Amazon and in the outdoors department of some Target stores. We use the pump bottle with lemon-eucalyptus, not the DEET formula. If you're bothered by biting insects (mosquitoes, black flies, etc.) where you live, you could invest in a bottle to see if it works for you. Otherwise, as Frank II advised, Smidge is available in outdoor stores in Scotland, and is readily available in most chemist shops and some supermarkets throughout the Highlands.

Safe (bite-free) travels!

Mike (Auchterless)

I was there last year and I took some OFF! towelette wipes. Very handy and they don't take up much room. There may be other brands, but these are available from Amazon or Walmart. Individually wrapped, so easy to share.

A midge hood, £5, might be the best money you spend all trip. When they are out they make life very unpleasant indeed within minutes.

This is a serious question - would people on a RS tour actually wear a midge hood (or in fact be outside long enough to need one)? I bought one many years ago for Greenland and it was wonderful but I've never seen anyone wear one in the UK - even though I've been in some places where midges have been really bad.

My bias might be as a walker /camper so everyone I know carries one.
I also never use repellants.
I guess RS tour activities might wrap up before early evening when its generally the worse time.
As I often say to foreign campers giving me pitying looks " yes,but at least I am not being Eaten Alive"
Edinburgh University did a study on midges and it came out at 900 trillion in a full season,so there's plenty to go round

I would use one.

I'm on the Best of Scotland tour in June, and just purchased a mosquito net to wear. Not the least bit concerned with how I look wearing it if it keeps the wee beasties out of my ears, eyes, and nose.

I was given to understand that midges are smaller than mosquitoes, so that a face net needs to be finer than a mosquito net to keep the midges out of our eyes and ears. I hate repellants, so would probably use one of these more than I would repellant.

The net that I purchased from Amazon supposedly has smaller holes specifically designed for midges. I made sure that I searched for a net for midges.

Yep we wear midge nets. We have chickens and when we go out to secure them in their house overnight we need midge nets. Also used on hikes but prefer to hike on days with a breeze so no midges.