Loch Lomond - August or April?

[Bythesea1982]

For those who live there or nearby, would August or April be the best time to visit Loch Lomond weather wise (I’m bound by school holidays).
I’d originally thought to book to go in August but from what I’ve read April looks like the driest month and there’s a higher chance of rain in August, so would April be a better time to go?
Im also concerned about the midges in August - how much of a problem are they?

April to avoid the midges

@Bythesea1982 if you are a midge magnet, huge problem, especially July/August.

There is even a map showing midge affected areas!

We live nearby - April better to avoid the dreaded midges but the weather is super variable - this year had some lovely bright days but it was pretty chilly and I was also scraping the car of ice some mornings! August isn’t a guaranteed midge-fest - depends on wind levels, sunshine etc. On bad midge days they are a real pest, but they don’t bite everyone - I’m rarely bitten even when there are clouds of them but my mum seems to attract them. In your situation I’d probably go for April (although May is generally the sweet spot).

April, the midges are hellish in summer. I lived by the lochside one summer and was sweeping up drifts of them at times.

We had some good holidays in Scotland in the May half term holiday when dd was school age.

@beetr00 Thank you for the link - that’s helpful. And thanks everyone for your comments. Maybe May half term next year might be the best time to go.

We go in August most years and have never really been bothered by midges, staying 100m or so from the shore and walking along it daily. We live in SE England and pack for September weather at home, it is invariably cooler especially in the evenings but we have usually had mostly dry weather with sunny spells. We go in the second half of Aug when Scottish schools go back.

@ExtensiveDebating Thats all really helpful to know - thank you. Particularly on the weather front too as I was concerned about how rainy it might be. Thanks for the tip about Scottish schools going back too. I’d initially thought to go end of July / beginning of August but maybe last two weeks is best if it’s a bit quieter. Are there any places you’d recommend? I’ll be with my two children (11 and 14) who’d like to give some of the water sports a go.

We’ve done canoeing and paddleboarding at Balloch, also swum at Luss (which has a stony beach, canoes etc available there too). Luss gets very busy on warm days but is a lovely village. We stay in Balloch. My two are older but always like Dumbarton Castle, it’s a steep climb to the top but great views. Limited opening at the moment though. A bit further afield Stirling Castle is great too. We’ve done all sorts over the years, train into Glasgow, all sorts of walks, drive up to Oban or into The Trossachs. Blair Drummond Safari Park, The Kelpies, The Falkirk Wheel, drive to Edinburgh and go in on the park and ride. You do need to pack for all weathers though, we have had some very wet days as well as all the dry ones. Layers!

@ExtensiveDebating Thanks again for your suggestions. It sounds like there’s loads to do!
I’m feeling torn. For every comment I read saying the midges are a real problem I read a different comment saying they’re not too bad / not a problem.

Re the midges.
They are there - but there are only two, sometimes three breeding 'peaks' in a year. Add in wind over 4mph, direct sunlight or rain, and they are often just not a thing. Yes, if you get a calm day by the water next to the woods it can be horrid...But at which point you either put on Smidge and a net and crack on, or head to somewhere different for the sea breeze, the train over Rannoch to sight see, or shopping in Glasgow...

5 million of us live up here - and I can think of a half dozen to ten days a year the midges are a pain in the arse, maybe one or two 'proper' midging's in a year. And I am someone outdoors most weekends.

We were there last week, walking the West Highland Way. The midges were a huge problem. I'd literally stop to take my jacket off and be surrounded by a cloud of them. I was coughing them up, sneezing them out. My neck was just a rash of bites. And I was wearing a net any time we stopped more than a minute or so.

We had a lot of rain too, following glorious sunshine up there for almost all of April and May.

I'd go in April.

It's a beautiful place!

@outdooryone Thank you for putting that into perspective for me based on your experience of living there and being an outdoorsy person. I think I got to fixated on the midges being a problem and forgot about all the wonderful reasons to visit the area so I’ve booked a place to stay in August which is close to Loch Lomond but Glasgow and Stirling will be easily reachable too.

If anyone has any advice of best things to do including boat trips that would be great.

I went in May half term holiday. It was beautiful. The midges were hell. I've been bitten all over and I'm still scratching now.

@Bythesea1982
Loch Lomond has some boats - I really like the islands, so take a picnic and just head to Inchcailloch from Balmaha.
If you're feeling fit, you can hire bikes at Loch Katrine and cycle the (hilly) traffic free road to Stronalachar cafe. Ebikes are an option.
Great bike rides around loch ard area - hire and ask advice from bike shop in Aberfoyle.
Go Ape and waterfalls from Aberfoyle/Dukes Pass.
The Three Lochs Forest Drive is great for picnic and walks - and the BEST home made ice cream from foraged ingredients and goats milk at Archray Farm.
Stirling castle and the town is good - lots of other things to do there, ideal for a wet or midgy day ;-)
Hills - Ben Lomond (big), Ben A'an (busy, easy), Ben Ledi are all great and straightforward mountain days if you fancy it.
Head up to Glencoe one day - there's lots of stops on the way, and it's stunning.
Callander is a nice town, and take the walk north from the big car park on the old railway to Loch Lubnaig. Enjoy the waterfalls. You can also walk up to Bracklinn Falls, which is spectacular after the rain from the bridge.
The coast over at Helensburgh is ok, a bit developed, but nice, and Helensburgh, Rhu etc have some shops and cafes.
A bigger coast day out: head to Dunoon and ben more gardens. There's a loop to do, as there is a ferry from Gourock to Dunoon, but a drive back over mainland.
Glasgow has lots to do - many museums and galleries are free. Lots of shopping.

I can keep going, that's just the tip of things to do. Can you tell I live locally...

I skip august in the west because the midges love me to shreds and I react

sone people just get much less attention

For school holidays
i would look at may half term or Easter if it’s late

@outdooryone That’s all fantastic! Thank you so much for all the information and tips - super helpful. We’re actually staying in Aberfoyle as we’re taking our bikes and it looked like a good location for joining a few cycle paths. Hopefully we’ll have the time to take a trip out to Glencoe. You mention that Stirling is good for a midgy day but without wanting to sound daft - how do you know? Is it just a case of being outside for long enough and knowing?
I’ve heard a few people mention Luss. Can we paddle board there? Or where else might be good to do this?

You can paddleboard in all sorts of places- access rights extend to water as well.
I would say Balmaha and Milarrochy are better on Lomond - more shelter and you can reach the islands for interest.
Loch ard next to Aberfoyle, from from Kinlochard village hall is also good, as is Loch Chon from forestry commission car park. To be honest your are spoiled for paddling choice.
Cycling, I would make sure you have a map or download something like Cycle streets as the trails in the forest can be a bit rabbit warren...

Midgy day = no wind.
Even then, they are not everywhere.

The may half term

We had a wonderful two weeks in the highlands about theee years ago. It was in the mid 20’s every day but the midges were ferocious. However, they only seemed to come out at dawn and dusk so it was ok in between.

This was August.

It really depends if you are a judge magnet. The replies on this thread just show that some people are and some aren't.

Another option is to go to the East coast of Scotland which gets far fewer midges.

We had a gloriously sunny week in Inverness recently.

@Turmerictolly Thats good to know as we definitely won’t be out at dawn and likely to be back at our accommodation by dusk so hopefully we’ll be ok. I’ll go prepared with some Smidge and long layers for everyone!
@outdooryone Really helpful once again, thank you for the tips on where’s best to paddle. I had seen a couple of what looked like straight forward biking routes on line but good point about the app if we go off piste in the forests. My eldest child is very much looking forward to the bike park there too.

Flipping auto correct on my kindle.
Nor judge magnet - midge magnet!