Is Scotland really that bad in August?

[drumandhake]

I'm from down south and considering a camping holiday next August in Scotland as far north as I can go for about a month. All I keep hearing about is the midges, are they really that bad?
Will have a seven and five year old with me.

Coastal winds keep them off. Inland by water or bog is awful in August. The worst I've ever had was near Braemar - they were absolutely everywhere, you couldn't think about anything else but getting away from them. Scots tend to camp in shoulder seasons, not August!

It depends where you go. Most of the west coast is quite bad, the east coast tends to be fine.

I have not yet read the whole thread. But we live in a place where the midges are bad (Ireland not Scotland, but they are the same midges). I am also quite allergic to them so more than 5 or 10 bites and i start to feel quite ill. We take steps to mitigate them (I have light long sleeve tops, several different sprays and we have a gas-powered midge machine which kills thousands of them every night when they are out, which reduces them considerably). As we live here we have had to adapt to them, and they have three waves each summer, for a couple of weeks each time, so it is time limited. I don't think I would specifically choose to holiday in a midge place during midge season with no midge machine and my full enjoyment of the holiday being predicated on being outdoors.

Scotland is a pretty vast and varied place, you know? Almost like its an entire country

So if I'm planning a three week trip, am I flying to Inverness and travelling up the east coast?

Honestly, if you are bothered at all by them don't fuck about with lavender and avon. Smidge works and is the only thing that works. But you have to cover every inch of exposed skin, I once forgot to do my hairline properly and had like a crown of bites. Pretty.

@drumandhake you should be absolutely fine on the east coast. I've been to Aviemore and the area around Inverness the last two Augusts and barely been bothered by them. The only time we saw them this year was first thing one morning when we were snowtubing on Cairngorm. It was a bit damp and cool but once we were back down at the loch and the temperatures rose, we didn't see another one.

So Soft Skin also really works and is better than Smidge imo (for me anyway)

In your shoes, I'd look into the Black Isle, Loch Ness and Findhorn which are all great places if you have young kids. They are all quite near to one other and the weather in these locations tends to be drier and milder. I guess you won't be staying put for three weeks?

Also, around by Aviemore is lovely and very child friendly.

All of these places should be within an hour's drive of Inverness.

I am on Mull now!! Weather glorious!!

@Brollywasntneededafterall

The current weather forecast in Mull according to the Met Office is strong winds and rain, with a weather warning issued for the next three days: "Heavy rain bringing the risk of flooding and transport disruption."

The current temperature is 14C with an 85% chance of rain, rising to 95% by 5pm.

www.bbc.co.uk/weather/7290043

I'm sure it's lovely up there, but hardly what I'd describe as "glorious weather"!

Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, East Coast, Cairngorm and Orkney, never had issues with midges. West Coast always fine up until the end of May, and after mid September but can be awful between those dates - it can be very hit and miss.

This was yesterday..

If your most coastal it's fine. As soon as there is a breeze they disappear.

But I'm shocked at how many people saying yes. I'm NE Scotland and I haven't seen one midge this year!

@JasonMomoasgirlfriend

If your most coastal it's fine. As soon as there is a breeze they disappear.

But I'm shocked at how many people saying yes. I'm NE Scotland and I haven't seen one midge this year!

It's almost like no-one lives in Scotland... especially not in August.

I had a really bad reaction to being bitten by one this summer (down south) My whole lower leg swelled up. So I'm scared of them.now. I bought an Avon spray oil which is supposed to be good at deterring them

This year's weather has been outstanding. They don't come out in the heat, but if we have normal summer weather, with rain and warmth, there are swarms and swarms of them.

My DH went camping further north from us (we live in the west of Scotland). He got up for a wee in the night, and came home with his legs so covered in bites you could barely see the skin.

Up the east coast you will be mostly fine, just grab yourself some smidge.

I camped for a week on Arran, it was absolutely beautiful but when I came back I counted more than 200 bites (nearly half of them on my ankles!).

I live in Scotland. Midges are confined to certain areas.

We went to Scotland and camped in August (Ben Nevis way). Didn't have any trouble with midges. It rained practically the whole time and I'd never do it again, but no midges.

Not on the east coast.

Probably a few less out there now, if this is anything to go by

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-44560839