Mosquitoes. Scotland.

[martinwhprice]

Yes. Poundland shops sells some roll-on midge repellent with a green cap for a (surprise !) pounder. Get that and the after bite stuff against nettles and other stingy thing which is also essential in a cycle bag and should be easy at hand. That should be you for this area as they are dead effective and not much loved by the local midges.

Places to see is the Skye, Mull and the Western Isles. Please note that the roads on Mull is iffy due to some recent mudslides. But I believe they have been fixed by now. Skye is suffering from a drought and the local distillery Talisker has been mothballed until rain arrives. Bring your own water. The fish & chips shops at Portree does the best fish & chips in Scotland.

Avalon above is spot on too and said everything there is to be said, really.

Cheers! Will definitely take the advice. Should the islands be ok for midges then? (relative to the surrounding mainland areas?). Think I'll do these in the first week and then maybe head east in the second week to Cairngorms - is that likely to be ok?

 

[toroddf]

It all depends on the wind, Martin. I refer to my fellow bike riders posts above. They are spot on and the local guy Paul J is very probably spot on.

Cairngorms vs the islands is basically a choice between landscapes. Not about midges. I personally rate the islands as the best scenery in the British Isles. Western Isles in particular is fantastic and dead cheap on a bike. You get huge discounts on the ferries by using the Hopscotch tickets. I would go from Oban to Barra and then north to Stornoway. I don't think you will find a finer bike ride anywhere in Europe. My personal view, supported by many others.

 

[billflat12]

just read Skin so soft is no repellant ,
"Others swear by the application onto the skin of undiluted Skin-so-Soft bath oil, produced by Avon Cosmetics. It is possible that midges may perish in the slightly sticky solution rather than being repelled"

.Dos,nt skin so soft use citronella as an active ingredient ?
see
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-x-150ml-Avon-Skin-So-Soft-Soft-And-Fresh-Dry-Oil-Body-Spray-Midges-Mozzy-/290747956785?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid=111000&algo=REC.CURRENT&ao=1&asc=14&meid=818425455533214804&pid=100015&prg=1006&rk=1&
Having horses i tend to mix my own ingredients, there's plenty of recipes & tutorials on YouTube most use, tea tree, bergarmot, citronella oil.s etc. as active ingredients, all sold in shops like holland & barrett in small 10ml bottles ideal if you want to boost the potancy of skin so soft etc, , be careful though as oils like citronella can cause a rash with some people.
Best tactic is know your enemy
http://www.ionalister.com/midge.htm

 

[MarkF]

Autan is the only thing that works for me and I am a midge/mosquito magnet. Covered myself in it near Rockliffe, Dumfries, last year...the feckers feasted on the soles of my feet........

 

[Bodhbh]

Should the islands be ok for midges then? (relative to the surrounding mainland areas?).

I don't know what they are like for midges in the absence of a breeze, but the beauty of the Western Isles is there are so many great wild camp spots on beaches or near the coast that you can probably arrange one. Well it's not the only beauty, but..

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I don't know what they are like for midges in the absence of a breeze,

Downright murderous, that's what! Don't think you can escape the Caledonian Luftwaffe, you can't.

You can run, but you cannot hide!

but the beauty of the Western Isles is

......Is almost lost amid huge clouds of the buggers?

 

[martinwhprice]

Thanks all for the comments. Got a pretty good idea of how best to avoid them, but if I go there expecting to be annihilated by the fantastically put "Caledonian Luftwaffe," then anything less dramatic is a bit of a bonus!

Made a few adjustments to my routes that's for sure, and I'll let you all know how I get on when I get back at the end of August! Cheers!

 

[toroddf]

BREAKING NEWS: According to BBC, there is hardly any midges left on the islands now due to the lack of rain. Which is bad for the midges eating birds. If Martinwhprice would be so kind to scatter around some pieces of bread to the local birds (as a replacement for their diet of midges), I am sure that trade off would be accepted by the birds.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Which is bad for the midges eating birds

I think you meant to say 'Midge eating birds'.

 

[martinwhprice]

BREAKING NEWS: According to BBC, there is hardly any midges left on the islands now due to the lack of rain. Which is bad for the midges eating birds. If Martinwhprice would be so kind to scatter around some pieces of bread to the local birds (as a replacement for their diet of midges), I am sure that trade off would be accepted by the birds.

Always happy to do my bit, however, you are going to have to show me evidence of this news... I'm not prepared to give these birds an alternative food source if it prevents them from eating the midges trying to eat me!

If true though... HIP HIP HOO BLOODY RAY!

 

[Paul J]

Try this, its the local newspaper

http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/local-headlines/a-relatively-midge-free-summer-1-2423024

 

[Crankarm]

I thought the birds were scared of the midges as the midges and mozzies are bigger than birds .......................

 

[Danny]

How are the Western Isles for mosquitos?
Is it best I forget cycling around this area in August and just head East?
Or North?
Or South!?

Basically there is no escape from the little buggers, I have been bitten in every part of Scotland. The only way to avoid them is to go in January when there are several inches of snow on the ground.

 

[Danny]

just read Skin so soft is no repellant ,
"Others swear by the application onto the skin of undiluted Skin-so-Soft bath oil, produced by Avon Cosmetics. It is possible that midges may perish in the slightly sticky solution rather than being repelled"

.Dos,nt skin so soft use citronella as an active ingredient ?
see
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-x-150ml-Avon-Skin-So-Soft-Soft-And-Fresh-Dry-Oil-Body-Spray-Midges-Mozzy-/290747956785?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid=111000&algo=REC.CURRENT&ao=1&asc=14&meid=818425455533214804&pid=100015&prg=1006&rk=1&
Having horses i tend to mix my own ingredients, there's plenty of recipes & tutorials on YouTube most use, tea tree, bergarmot, citronella oil.s etc. as active ingredients, all sold in shops like holland & barrett in small 10ml bottles ideal if you want to boost the potancy of skin so soft etc, , be careful though as oils like citronella can cause a rash with some people.
Best tactic is know your enemy
http://www.ionalister.com/midge.htm

It may not strictly be a repellent, but it seems to work more effectively than most of the alternatives I've tried.

Having said that nothing is effective if you get ambushed by a real swarm of midges. One of my most unpleasant memories ever was trying to mend a puncture while being attacked from all sides by a thick black cloud of the creatures. There tactic seems to be to first send in kamikaze squads to overwhelm my 1" layer of Skin-so-soft, and then to swoop in on mass for the kill.

 

[martinwhprice]

Bit off topic, apologies, but I figured most people looking at this thread now will be people with experience in Scotland... how are food prices in pubs and the like in the Western Isles/Highlands/Western Perthshire regions? I'm a student, so it's 100% price over quality, but I just wondered if it's reasonable to budget for evening meals out each night or whether I need to think of alternative arrangements...?