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Camping and The Scottish Midge

Q. I am hoping to camp in Scotland this summer and I now been told about the midges are worst in Scotland than anywhere.

How can I avoid being bitten and is there a campsite where there is no midges on the campsite.

P Gibbon, Bradford

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A. Midge avoidance tactics on Scottish campsites usually involve eating in the car, or the pub, having a tent with a mozzie net, covering up any exposed skin, and using insect repellents quite liberally. (Don't spray the tent fabric, though as you might damage it)

And they don't like tobacco smoke at all.

When they're at their worst, it can be quite impossible to stay out in the open without being driven mad by the little beggars.

Midges find you by homing in on your breath and they can't home in on you if it is windy, so picking a breezy spot for your tent to make the most of any wind would seem like a good idea.

Mike Knipe, Crook

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A. It's difficult to convey the full unpleasantness of a Scottish midge assault to someone who hasn't experienced it.

In a word it can be hell.

Try to camp as far from standing water as possible, ideally somewhere that catches the breeze. Halfway up a mountain usually does the trick.

If you can't do this then the only solution is to get away from them.

Shutting yourself in a tent with a pipe or cigar is one solution but it's unpleasant when you have to eat (or for that matter breathe).

You can eat in the car, if you are not backpacking, but this kind of defeats the purpose of being outdoors.

My best tip is to do what I myself have done several times - pack up your camping gear and head for the nearest B & B pronto!

David Clark, Dundee

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A. The short answer is don't!!

I have regularly back packed and camped in the highlands but only March to May or late Sept - Oct. I'm not into winter camping and June - early Sept is quite impossible. Walking is OK any time of year because midges only find you when you are stationary.

This year we back packed, last week of May, in Fisherfield which could have been midge infested. We were lucky only because it was so cold! Isle of Mull at the same time was already overrun.The Cairngorms always better than Western Highlands if you must go Scottish camping in summer.

Finally it is noteworthy that midges are never seen in the Alps where tree cover is preserved and a far more balanced, vertically integrated flora and fauna have been preserved.

What of the theory that the MIDGE is the end result of an environmental disaster, namely the clearing and collapse of the natural Highland forest over the last 300 years?

I suspect that as forest is reintroduced, land is naturally drained and becomes less acidic, other insects and birds flourish then and only then will the midge decline.

Trouble is that will take another 100 years!

Christopher Bennett, Ripon

A. Also see Midges on The Isle of Skye

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A. For the latest forecast with respect to Midges in Scotland - see The Midge Forecast.

Hope this helps

Mike (Editor)

A. Try Avon "Skin So Soft". It's less unpleasant than insect repellant, smells nice and does tend to keep them off in moderate conditions. It's actually a moisturiser but you'll see it next to the insect repellants in some Scottish outdoor shops! Also, headnets help.

Mark Janes, Fleet, Hants

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A. Answer to camping with the midge, light a bbw 1 hour before the attack and place it about 3 to 4 mts from the tent door with a lamp (gas , battery or candle ) wear light coloured clothing and avon oil and you can sit out all evening, while the rest of the campsite is imprisoned in there tents.

Peter Phillips, Birmingham

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NB. Wild Camping and The Law in England, Scotland and Wales.

Tents cannot be pitched just anywhere because every piece of Britain is owned by some individual or some organisation and according to the strict letter of the law permission must be obtained prior to pitching tent and camping.

In practice however, this is often impractical and wild camping is usually tolerated in the more remote areas - typically, more than half a day's walk from an official campsite or other accommodation providing you:

Keep groups small
Camp as unobtrusively as possible
Leave camp as you found it
Remove all litter (even other people's)
Carry out everything you carried in
Carry out tampons and sanitary towels (burying them doesn't work as animals dig them up again)
Choose a dry pitch rather than digging drainage ditches around a tent or moving boulders
Toilet duties should be performed 30m (100ft) from water and the results buried using a trowel
At all time, help preserve the environment
And if you are in any doubt about what you're doing, find out more

In Scotland, the current access legislation (which came into effect in early 2005) is explicit about your right to wild camp on hill land.

There appears to be an exception to this with respect to camping in Dartmoor National Park where the right to wild camping is actually enshrined in the National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act, 1949 amendment Dartmoor Commons Act, 1985 - see Wild Camping in the UK for more details.

For the definitive answer with respect to wild camping in Scotland see the answer supplied by the Scottish Natural Heritage

NB. go4awalk.com cannot offer any advice on suitable locations for wild camping - but click here for walks from exisiting campsites.

Hope this helps

Mike (Editor)

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Camping and The Scottish Midge