Loch Lomond

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We're thinking of going for a week in a cottage with our two children aged 11 and very nearly 3 in late July or August. We would like to go by train, travelling to Arrochar and Tarbet and renting somewhere very near there. I'd be interested in any comments about the area for a holiday with children in general and comments on what it's be like without a car. The option is there for us to take the car if we need one.

There is a myth that there are no midgies in the East Coast. This might be true, until you get up into the Cairngorms.

We once hired a self-catering cottage outside Nairn in June. I thought it would be lovely to eat outside one evening. We quickly moved back in once we realised the bastard midgies like to eat outside in the evening, too.

Oh, and a BBQ, you have to stand right next to it. Fags, too.

Anywhere there is trees and moisture there they are bastards

And greenery blade of grass

We stayed in a lovely b&b on the whw that had at least a million of them in the bedroom. We didn't get a bitten though (but the poor woman who ran the place really suffered).

I live in Helensburgh if you need any help :)

We 'wild' camped one weekend at Loch Lomond when it was still permitted. 1st night on the mainland bank was horrific, clouds of midges, surrounded by drunk folks partying with loud music until early am. 2nd night we had kayaked into the middle of the loch, found a peninsula type beach on an island with a strong breeze and one young family and had an idyllic night - midge and music free.
I honestly get eaten alive by them, day or night but evenings are worst. I'm on the east coast now and very few where we are until you head inland.
That said, the area around Loch Lomond is gorgeous.

Aye, Dr. DH is from Edinburgh and we lived there for 6 years. Only encountered midgies when we went up into the Cairngorms and north.

And here .

I'd like to get out to Iona next month, but the island also usually has a breeze so can be relatively okay for midgies.

We go in late Aug every year, the place we stay is about 200m from the water's edge and up a bit, none of us has ever had any bother with midges.

I agree about taking a car, it gives you a lot more options for days out, especially if you get wet weather. Although the roads do seem to quite regularly get blocked by accidents :(

My dad says theres no midges on Iona - He puts it down to some sort of magical woo about the place. More likely its the breeze

I can remember camping trips to loch Lomond where I was washing midges out of my hair for days, and just eaten alive. Its never been too bad during the day though. I mean the daytime ones can be controlled by midge repllent, but at dusk they swarm in clouds like a plague

The real killer about Iona are the fucking ferry fees after 31 March. Yowsa!

Are you an outdoorsy family and is your 3 year old used to lots of walking. There isn't a huge amount to do if not. I love the west coast but have avoided till my DC were bigger. Mull or Skye have more to offer as well as sandy beaches which Arrochar lacks. There will be midge though everywhere.

We stayed a bit higher up, Fort William, last August - we had great weather but they'd had shed loads of rain the week before we went so tge midges were out in force. You can buy nets that go over your head (which look absolutely ridiculous) from Wilkinsons and were a god send when we went for a long walk near a river!!

We also used the Avon stuff, not sure if it worked but I didnt get a single bite, that said DH disnt use the cream and also didnt get bitten so who knows.

Never been to iona every time i look into it I mind how dear the ferry is.

My friend used to live in Fort william never really bothered by midges there she dis live at the foot of nevis to cold for them

I used to live in fort William and I promise the midges are awful!! They obviously just didn't fancy biting your friend lol. X

We visited Ft. William in October last year, for the first time. Ah, lovely. Beautiful, clear skies and to us from Argyll, not so cold. And NO midgies. A good time was had by all.

I am the only one who is allergic to their bites. But both DD2 and DS are bitten. They only leave the red marks.

DH is never bitten at all, or swarmed.

I remember the first time DD1 was bitten. We had come to Argyll from her and DH's native Edinburgh, and DD1 had gone out in the garden to amuse herself. Then she came back in with all these red dots round her hairline and I was beside myself! 'Oh, god, she is mackled with something!' And our friend from Glasgow who had lived most of his adult life through there said, 'They are midgie bites.'

If they don't like you, it might well be fine. But if they do, the gods help you. They can make life misery.

I love walking and hillwalking more than any other pastime or hobby in all my life, believe me. I will do anything for a good hike. But those midgies will stop me cold, to where the team I am on to try Ben Nevis goes the first weekend in October.

Thank you all. I think I've decided to wait a while till DS is a bit older. I love walking and although he'll do a but it'd break my heart to be there and not be able to tramp those hills.
Also we really wanted to take the sleeper up but can see it might then be tricky to find a hire car in that area.