You may have heard the rumours of midges in Scotland turning a week of potentially glorious walking into sheer misery. Midges on the West Highland Way are no joke and need to be taken seriously if you want to enjoy your walk to the maximum. Yes it will be necessary to plan to avoid this very real pest on the West Highland Way. This post will give you all the information you need to help avoid midges on the West Highland Way.
I know a lot about midges, but actually my Mum knows way more than me. She lives on the north coast of Scotland, a further two hours north than Inverness. She knows everything there is to know about the Scottish midge and is a little bit of an expert!
It’s no fun walking the West Highland Way in midge season so my advice is to simply book your trek outside of midge season (April, May, Sept or Oct). However if you’ve either already booked or can only go during the summer months, this post will help you prepare for the midges on the West Highland Way. If you are staying in hotels or guest houses (in-doors as oppose to camping) you will fare much better than campers as midges don’t really like to go indoors.
Midges low down
- only female midges bite
- midges are 1-3mm big
- midges bite deer, cattle, dogs and other mammals as well as humans
- midge season runs from the beginning of June to the end of August
- midges are attracted to the CO2 that we exhale
- Scotland has a ‘midge forecast’
- midges love still, wet, cloudy, humid conditions
- midges don’t like the wind, bright sunshine or humidity below 60%
- midges will still come out in the rain and the dark
- normally if rain is too heavy or in windy conditions midges can’t survive
- scientists have discovered that the chemical ketone in our body odour repels midges
- sunrise/sunset are the worst times for midges
- a midge face net is a must buy if trekking in June, July & August
- Avon’s So Soft cream is the local’s favourite to repel midges
What is a midge?
Midges are tiny biting insects, rather like mosquitoes. Although they bite, they cannot transmit diseases like malaria.
Eggs are laid in damp moorland, around bogs and marshes and once hatched midges don’t really travel too far from their breeding ground. Whilst a midge is only 1-3mm big they can give an irritating bite which in some people can blow up to huge red swollen lumps. Midges don’t hunt individually like a mosquito – biting females congregate in swarms – a frightening sight when you spot a huge black biting shadow fast approaching!
You normally won’t see a midge biting you – you’ll only realise just after once you react to the bite – an itchy, red bump, like a mosquitos will appear. Some trekkers in peak summer look like they’ve got measles from all their midge bites.
How to avoid midges in Scotland
Midges are prevalent in Scotland in June, July and August. This varies slightly depending on the weather conditions so you could see biting midges from the end of May or into the beginning of September. So the best advice on how to avoid midges in Scotland is simply not to visit during these months. Read my post Best Time to do the West Highland Way.
- avoid sunrise and sunset – midges don’t like bright sunlight
- keep your tent zipped up
- wear long light coloured clothing and keep it tucked in to avoid exposed skin area
- use Avon So Soft or an insect repellent like Smidge
- visit Scotland in non the non-midgey months, do spring or Autumn or get eaten!
- pack anti-histamines as a relief in case you get bitten
Midge anti-repellants
Anti-repellants and non DEET alternatives like Avon’s Skin So Soft (what the locals wear) or Repel Lemon Eucalyptus are available to buy in Milngavie before you start the trail and along the trail in most shops. Avon’s Skin So Soft can be ordered online in Europe however US walkers can either order to their accommodation or simply buy on arrival.
Smidge is the most popular midge anti-repellent in Scotland. It’s sold all along the trail.
Midge head nets
If you’re walking the West Highland Way in June, July or August a midge head net is highly recommended. This head gear is not the most fetching but you’ll be glad of the respite it will give you from clouds of midges during your walk. Don’t worry most other walkers will be wearing them too so you can all look daft together. Midge head nets are super lightweight (20g) and pack up small so its better to have one and not need it, than be without when a dark swarm of midges appears! Note that a traditional mosquito net or US bug net is not sufficient to keep midges as bay as midges are smaller and can get through the holes in a mosquito net.
Watch Kraig Adams YouTube video below to see what the midges did to Kraig Adams during his epic West Highland Way trek. His video is 20 minutes long but truly inspiring.
Midges forecast in Scotland
Did you know there is actually a midge forecast in Scotland during midge season? The amount of midges out and biting can be changeable day to day depending on breeding cycles. Check here to see what the level of midges are during the midge season
The horror of the Scottish midge is so prevalent that it could even be made into a horror film – check it out.
