Scottish Midges And Why We Hate Them

We travelled to Scotland in May of 2019, on our very first camping trip together. 

Everything was planned, from the train schedules to the gear, and we couldn’t wait to go.

Finally, the day arrived.

We woke up at 4:30 am, got our backpacks and headed for the airport. Two planes, one bus and a train later we made it to Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park (what a mouthful!). Or at least we thought. As it turned out, due to a minor miscalculation, we were actually about 18 km away from where we wanted to be. But back to the story.

The weather was perfect, cloudy but not too cold, with a slight breeze blowing in our direction. We hiked all day, as per usual mostly ignoring the map and just going where our feet took us, and even had some fun tracking a deer through the trees!

We ended up making camp in a patch of forest on the edge of a field, cooked ourselves something to eat and, with the weather taking a turn for the worse, called it a day.

The next day I woke up first and stuck my head outside for some fresh morning air.

That’s when I noticed them.

There were little flies hovering by the entrance of the tent. As I wondered if these could be the legendary Scottish midges, I received a decisive confirmation, courtesy of a bite on my neck. I quickly pulled my head back inside and gave Ana the great news. 

Having already dealt with giant mosquitoes in Norway, I had prepared a secret weapon. Out of my backpack I pulled a mosquito net to put around my head, and anyone who has dealt with midges before will probably see where this is going. I covered my head with the net and my hands with gloves, and emerged ready for battle.

I was immediately swarmed, and at first I seemed to be winning. Then a midge landed on the net and, right in front of my horrified eyes, stuck its head in one the holes. It then nonchalantly flew inside. It turns out midges are small enough to pass through the mesh of a mosquito net, and we, having never seen one before, hadn’t the slightest clue.

But it was now too late, and we were in trouble.

We quickly packed up the tent and got out of there. Surprisingly, they didn’t seem that interested in following us and, thanks to a steady wind, we were left alone for most of the day. 

This was our first encounter with midges. This annoying little insect is the bane of the Scottish outdoors, first emerging in early spring and swarming during the summer months. We thought the tales of black clouds overwhelming hikers and outdoor workers were exaggerated, but it turns out that there is some truth to the myth. We continued to be harassed by midges whenever we would stop in most shaded areas for more than a few minutes, with the early morning and late afternoon being the worst periods.

The only thing that kept them at bay was the wind, as they are so tiny that even a slight breeze is enough to force them to land.

They would also for some reason be extremely interested in our tent, a green Nordisk Svalbard. Every morning they would be waiting outside, covering us from head to toe the moment we stepped out. At times, the fabric of my fleece seemed to be moving by itself, covered with hundreds of tiny bodies. 

The bites were also not a walk in the park. I got off fairly okay, but Ana suffered a nasty allergic reaction that caused the bite marks to remain itchy and visible for weeks. 

I hope that by writing this I am not scaring you off from visiting Scotland, as it was by far one of the most amazing destinations we travelled to. I do however hope that it will help you be more prepared than we were.

A good website to check out is Smidge. Along with a selection of anti midge products, they also have a seasonal update on the current midge situation. It’s definitely worth checking out before going.

So remember:

• Get yourself a midge proof head net, as well as gloves and a scarf.

• Spray yourself with a good insect repellant on all exposed skin.

• And tuck your pants in your boots and your shirt in your pants to keep away the ticks…but that’s a story for another time.

𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚 ?

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 !

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