Holiday In West Of Scotland

[wilfred]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

We are planning a holiday on the West coast of Scotland this summer (and looking forward to it very much!) however the lady whose property we're renting mentioned that midges are a problem there (it's near Ullapool).

I've stayed in Scotland before but never had a problem with midges (usually we've stayed near Elgin) - what experience does anyone else have, of staying up there, midge-repellant-wise? Also, do visiting dogs have any sort of problem, re midge-bites?

I love Scotland and any advice would be welcome, please. Is there anything I need to do to be prepared?

Thanks

Gill

 

[tracy]

we are on the East Coast so the midge problem is less - the word on the street this year is that the midge problem is going to be bad due to the mild Winter.

the advice we had when we arrived was to use Avon skin so soft moisturiser - the locals swear by it

hope this helps - and do not be put off by the midges - the areas around Ullapool are just so beautiful - have a great holiday

 

[Janimal]

We get midges here near the river, I would take a good anti-spray with you from a good pharmacy... :thumbsup:

and citronella oil deters them too, its inexspensive and can be dabbed onto clothing..

 

[kilmousk]

Midges can be horrendous! I'm not particularly affected by them but they have ruined camping before. They dont like wind or wet and even if a site is known for them they can be a nuisance rather than a deal breaker. Luckily the area and countryside does make it worth it.

Being a property is far easier than in a tent and forewarned is forearmed. Avon skin so soft (green forest version) is effective and i wouldnt go without it as are sprays etc (though i dont use them due to toxins). The dog has been distressed before so a cloth soaked in water with citronella (and rose, pine and geranium!) oil and rubbed over them helps. Having a BBQ close by and scented candles also helps. So does smoking though i wouldnt condone allowing dogs a cigarette!

 

[Nicola]

Midges are bad on the west coast of Scotland from Jun-Sep (we always go in May to avoid them). Avon skin so soft worked for me last time I used it. They aren't as bothersome when it's windy, but the moment that wind drops....they swarm. I used to ue a midge hood to keep them off my face.

 

[wilfred]

Avon skin so soft (green forest version) is effective and i wouldnt go without it as are sprays etc (though i dont use them due to toxins). The dog has been distressed before so a cloth soaked in water with citronella (and rose, pine and geranium!) oil and rubbed over them helps. Having a BBQ close by and scented candles also helps. So does smoking though i wouldnt condone allowing dogs a cigarette!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Thanks for all the advice everyone; much appreciated. I can't get the dogs started on ciggies (I can't afford for them to start a smoking habit!! ).

We're really looking forward to the holiday in August (right in the middle of the midge season, bother!) and will take plenty of stuff with us. Where do you get the citronella, rose, pine and geranium oils from, for the dogs, please?

 

[zilloot]

I've heard too that the midges are going to be bad because of the mild winter.

Thankfully they never bite me now!!! OH says I must smell disgusting to a midge but admits that I smell of nothing to him!

Watch though, some perfumes/shampoos etc actually attract them but, honestly, one of the best repellents available is Avon's Skin-so-Soft moisturiser - it's incredibly good so get hold of your Avon lady before you go. And don't be fooled - if they do bite you they can make your holiday a complete misery. They did bite me as a child and many evenings ended in tears with my entire skin lumpy and red (the days before effective repellents!)

Midges are worst near water so if they're bad don't camp/stay/picnic near a loch or stream and stick to the higher ground. They're worst in the late afternoon/evening.

If you're sitting outside then do take a couple of citronella candles with you because they help. And yes, smokey BBQs too although you need to sit near the smoke :x You can also buy all kinds of repellent candley-things in the local shops. Pack a mosquito net if you're really worried.

 

[saraquele]

get some citronella spray that you use on horses for the dogs :thumbsup: you can buy it from any saddlery :thumbsup:

 

[masta]

i work for a company that was involved in perfecting a natural insect repellent as effective as 50% deet and during the trial phase we had the product undergo trials in Tanzania and the wet coast of Scotland these were conducted by the London School of Tropical Medicine, they also conduct live trials this involves a guy applying the repellent on his arm and putting it into a tank full of live mozzies then after a given period they record how many bites etc when they tested avonsoft it was 0% effective i would'nt rely on it working and spoiling your holiday

 

[jinx and rubys mum]

We are bothered by them here and avon skin so soft is the answer

Get the shower creme,the moisturiser and the spray and they will leave you alone!!!!!

Youll smell nice too!!! (w00t)

 

[Nicola]

i work for a company that was involved in perfecting a natural insect repellent as effective as 50% deet and during the trial phase we had the product undergo trials in Tanzania and the wet coast of Scotland these were conducted by the London School of Tropical Medicine, they also conduct live trials this involves a guy applying the repellent on his arm and putting it into a tank full of live mozzies then after a given period they record how many bites etc when they tested avonsoft it was 0% effective i would'nt rely on it working and spoiling your holiday

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Interesting what you say about the Avon Skin So Soft. Quite a few of us have tried this product and recommend it. I agree, don't rely on it totally, but when I tried it, I did honestly feel I wasn't being bothered so much by them to the point I could relax more. You'll still get bitten but they won't drive you up the wall like they usually do. I was that thrilled, I recommended it to my OH's Mountain Rescue Team colleagues, a few of whom tried it out, and they were impressed too.

Trials carried out in Tanzania and the West Coast of Scotland...says it all about the West Coast (w00t)

Having said that, every time we went to the West of Scotland in August we were camping so there was no escaping the midges. We had midge nets in the tent which were effective as long as you didn't get in and out of the tent. Meals had to be eaten in the car or the tent.

Once indoors they aren't a problem and we spent many a happy evening at the local pubs If you're on the move during the day they aren't so bad either, it was evenings that were almost unbearable. A friend's collie got so distressed it jumped in a river to try and escape them.

However, looking on the more positive side, Ullapool and the local area are lovely. We spent our honeymoon camping in the area. Be sure to visit the Ceilidh Place in Ullapool for a prawn sandwich (if you like fish). The Summer Isles Hotel in Achiltibuie does lovely fish meals and the Hydroponicum opposite is really interesting (and you'll escape the midges!). We camped at Achnahaird and the views across to Sulivan were fab. It's a fabulous landscape...the hills are miles apart, but they are really distinctive. A real get away from it all type holiday. :thumbsup:

 

[wilfred]

Thanks for all those comments - I must admit, at first I was a bit bothered by the thought of the midges but then, thinking positively, we've loads of stuff to try and I will definitely be getting a midge net for my head/face!!! I don't care how daft I look if it means I'm not being eaten alive :thumbsup:

We're so looking forward to going up there and getting away from it all for a fortnight.

Thanks everyone!

:cheers: :huggles:

 

[zilloot]

I was writing an email to a friend last night when a midge mooched across my computer screen.

That midge has now been humanely dispatched so if it offers an consolation there is now one less midge in Scotland...... :lol: :- "

 

[wilfred]

Thanks Fiona! Only sixty zillion more to go ...

 

[Zephyr]

We are also going to the West Coast - in August! :- " - so have found this a really useful thread. It's the first time the children and OH have been up there (I spent many happy holidays in Scotland in my youth) and I have been playing down the midge problem :- " but will stock up on Avon Skinsosoft and let you know the results! :thumbsup:

Going to be staying in a cottage in Mingarry, near Strontian - anyone know anything about the area?

Beth

 

[tracy]

all these people going to the West Coast......

the East Coast is really beautiful too

with far less midges :- "

 

[wilfred]

Oh, I know - we love the east coast and the Moray Firth but we've always hankered for the West side and this summer we're going to be brave and have a change (we are SUCH pioneers! LOL).

 

[Nicola]

We are also going to the West Coast - in August! :- "  - so have found this a really useful thread.  It's the first time the children and OH have been up there (I spent many happy holidays in Scotland in my youth) and I have been playing down the midge problem :- "  but will stock up on Avon Skinsosoft and let you know the results! :thumbsup:
Going to be staying in a cottage in Mingarry, near Strontian - anyone know anything about the area?

Beth

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Hi Beth,

I don't know the area that well. However we did do a day trip to Ardnamurchan Point a few years back, which I really enjoyed. You get a lovely views over to Muck, Eigg & Rum, there's a lighthouse and a small shop, and a lovely little beach with zillions of tiny shells. I spent most of my time there collecting shells...they were sooo pretty.

From our drive round we passed the Glenfinnan Monument which was beautifully situated at the head of Loch Shiel. As you drive round the coast you pass the most beautiful scenery, with turquoise seas around each bend in the road. I really want to go back and get some photos. Will you be driving that way round (from the old Mallaig road that turns off just past Fort William) or catching the Corran Ferry?

Sanna Beach is meant to be a vast sandy beach, although I've never been there, but I've seen lots of photos of it. There's quite a bit of Forestry Commission Land with tracks ideal for cycling (according to friends who have a cottage in Acharacle).

Finally, you could catch a ferry for a day trip to Mull/Tobermory (passenger ferry only- departs from somewhere near Ardnamurchan). Tobermory is very pretty and well worth a visit.

Some of the above may be a bit of a drive from you (the road out to Ardnamurchan Point is a bit tortuous....single track with lots of little blind summits where you can't see ahead of you), so some of these may well be day trips.

Just keep on the move and hope for a good breeze....a ferry trip maybe the best way to blow away those midges