Hi I'm just back from a weekend in the Galloway Forest, and boy, were they ferocious !
As well as taking up smoking, we tried moving the tents to the highest spot in the area to get the most from the breeze.
Serious suggestions - stay away from trees (difficult in a forest), stay as high as possible, make the barbie smoke too much, keep moving around, or as a last not-too-serious resort, tie a sweaty, chocolate and tomato sauce smeared child to a tree as a sacrificial offering. Preferably the child who has been moaning and whingeing since dawn. we tried that but ran out of children
I think with midges they either love you or hate you, luckily I don't seem to be too bothered by them, they do annoy me but for some reason don't bite!
------------- Elaine
Easter Southerness
Jubilee TBA-
July - Blue Dolphin
Well the saga of the Scottish Midge will continue. No miracle cure or deterent but thank you for the laugh. That's all I've heard all day anytime someone looked at my itchy blotchy face :-(
East Coast for us next time well until the end of July when the wee B's go away to store up energy for next years midge season!!!
My OH got bit last weekend and is now on Anti B's for an infection 2nd time in 3 years, me they don't touch me lost of prescription drugs must make my blood very tasty! Though they dont go for my son either and he just takes pirition .. so perhaps dose yourself up next time!!
------------- Taffy
2012 Planned
Easter - Cornwall
July scout camp
August North Wales
This is weird... but can I ask. Do they only like a certain type of person ! We met a lovely family next to us this weekend and they were eaten alive. Not one of us got biten once
------------- Faith :-)
May 2010 - Plans
July 2010 - Plans
Aug 2010 - Plans !!
I'm not perfect, I've given up trying to have a tidy house and no matter how hard I try my kids faces are NEVER clean !
They only go for the ones that are really, really, squeaky clean - that's why I dont wash or shower when I camp....................................................come to think of it nothing or no-one comes anywhere near me LOL
Yes, they do prefer some to others. We get them quite bad in our garden (at the foot of the Penines just 150 yards from sheep grazing). We stayed out too late one evening and, when the bites had turned red and could be counted, I had over 50 bites on each limb; others were barely touched.
Well the saga of the Scottish Midge will continue. No miracle cure or deterent but thank you for the laugh. That's all I've heard all day anytime someone looked at my itchy blotchy face :-(
East Coast for us next time well until the end of July when the wee B's go away to store up energy for next years midge season!!!
Lol! don't bet on it, oh has family thats stay in Lairg, and he spent a period of 6 months working there during the summer couple of years back, he ended up buying a face net, as said only thing that kept them away and even the locals were affected!
------------- Elaine
Easter Southerness
Jubilee TBA-
July - Blue Dolphin
We came back from Mallaig last week and I have to say that those little b******s love me so much they invited all their friends and family as well! It was like...Wow, party time! I am such a mess!!
Some people seem to react more to the bites than others. I have been told by my GP that I need to take anti histamine tablets when we are away again starting them at least three days before we go and continuing for 3 days after. I will cetainly be doing that as well as trying out the catnip stuff. Nothing else has worked up to now!
I am English and live up here in East Scotland, and my partner and her son are both Scots. When ever camping on the west coast I get eaten every time and they are left alone. The midges practicaly drag me out from the tent to feast. But have found that taking anti hayfever tablets a few day prior help with the iritation , Mosqutoe coils burning in the tent and Jungle formula help matters. The midge net hats are also a great help, have tried most things.
But I am still Glad for this dreaded Midge, as it a natures way of protecting this most beautiful West Coast of Scotland, from too much tourisum and all the trapping that usually come with popular beauty spots. The Midges are keeping a huge number of folk away and so making it enjoyable for those mad few to enjoy the West Coast !!!! Its a case of "who dares wins"
This is weird... but can I ask. Do they only like a certain type of person ! We met a lovely family next to us this weekend and they were eaten alive. Not one of us got biten once
Every one gets bitten it#s just that some people are sensitive to the bites an get an uncomfotable reaction. If you don't appear to have been bitten it's because you are one of those who don't have a reaction
Got advised by a doctor friend to take massive doses of B vitamins before going away for about 3 weeks (he wasn't sure if it was vit B1, B2, or B12 so I took all 3!). I was on something called "Magnesium OK" anyway which is a "lady vitamin" complex which has massive doses of various vitamin Bs in it, so just carried on with that.
OH took Berroca as apparently that has high doses too (but I haven't seen what they are).
Marmite would have a similar effect if you guzzle the stuff (but you'd have to watch your salt intake if you did!).
Anyway both of us survived a week in Applecross with barely a bite. We did notice that there were more of the wee barstewards around Loch Lomond though (where we stayed 1 night en route) but to be honest I can't say they bothered us there either.
------------- Next trip: Applecross, Scotland. June 21st - 26th 2009
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: The Scottish Midge!!!
