French bitey creatures

[WelshMoth]

Off to France soon, camping for a week, then gite for a week.
I ALWAYS get bitten. Always. And always get a bad reaction. Tried plug ins, no good. Tried sprays. No good. Always cover up at sun down. Skin gets a rash with deet.

What can I do to stop these little bastards insects from nibbling away at me?!

Help!

I use some rather natty wipes that I got in Wilkinsons I think? I am not prone to being bitten but for some reason I get a terrible reaction to the French bitey creatures when they do cop a mouthful. I also take a Piriton tablet every day which keeps the reaction down. I start them the day before we go and take one religiously whether I get bitten or not, then ordinary bite cream as needed.

crabtree and evelyn's, West Indian & Sicilian lime spray is brilliant and smells lovely,

If you have a decent health food shop near you, that has a pharmacy department, they often have lots of good sprays that don't irritate.

We have had success with a combo of arnywear and read the reviews

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.
Piriton knocks me sideways, but I'll look into other AH's.
Also, trout, I've already tried Avon's Skin so Soft - they bit through it.

Gah!

Oh gawd... This then:
quite stylish really

Hur hur hur trout, very sexy :)
I actually don't use piriton because I am too tight as I find tescos own brand is fine for me. I just could not remember the proper name of the stuff!

Trout
Not so sure that DH would go for it though!

Anyone find burning the coils handy?

If you can find it in the UK Lucas' Papaw Ointment works a treat on bites and I've found stops the little critters biting again, failing that get an anti-histamine cream from the pharmacist before you go, and bathe in anything lemony!

My whole family was eaten alive by mozzies in Corfu years ago. Some women we met on the beach hadn't been bitten once, they put it down to taking vitamin B for a few weeks before they came away.

I spent some time in Uganda when I was 19, and I heard you need to eat lots of marmite! I then went on to get malaria and cerebral malaria so I'm definitely not convinced that one works! Think there's lots of old wives tales out there! Unfortunately!
Went to Montenegro two years ago and covered myself in everything going, had plug ins, coils burning, citronella candles burning, took anti h's and actually wasn't too bad! Bleeding faff though :-( x