How to deal with the Scottish Midge while walking the Southern Upland Way

Midge can be a real nuisance when walking in Dumfries and Galloway but with a few tricks and remembering to take a few things with you they are easy to deal with. Let me know if you have any other tips for dealing with midges
The Southern Upland Way is one of Scotlands Great Trails. A 214 mile coast to coast path from Portpatrick on the West Coast to Cockburnspath on the east.For more information visit our website at dgtrails.org/s....
This video was produced by Dumfries and Galloway Council's Southern Upland Way Ranger Service with funding from ScottishPower Renewables Kilgallioch Windfarm.

[@janetturner7489]

Anything nice smelling like perfume attracts the beasties. Taking a garlic capsule before retiring for the night deters them but Smidge is best. From a new subscriber 😁

[@1spissatus]

I walked this wonderful path in the 1990s, quite gruelling at times, but during the month of May I escaped them entirely even though I wild camped occasionally. Although the weather was beautiful when I set off from Portpatrick by the time I reached the Lammermuir hills winter had returned and I had to struggle through foot deep slushy snow before arriving at Abbey St Bathans exhausted - still better than suffering midgies!

[@Soarific]

No idea why I searched for midges, I guess I wanted to see if anyone else is suffering from them this year lol. Decided to subscribe, not sure what content you post but you are a good presenter and I found it interesting to watch you walk and talk. Have a good day.

[@southernuplandway3440]

Thanks :-) I post a mixture of advice about walking and cycling in Scotland and stuff about interesting places along the Southern Upland Way, historic sites, good places to see wildlife that sort of thing. The midges were really getting to me earlier this year which is why I recorded this but since then the hot weather has chased most of them away.

[@Shorts-ru8jt]

Agree natural presenter .

[@gina2190]

London , trees rotting outside my flat and above me a weed factory so that ment the drains got infested too. Pure hell for me at the moment been over a year of torture. Are they midges we can’t see them but I got a photo of one and it had the tortoise like head and red belly from blood ?

[@davidcressey]

I live in the borders have sectioned hiked half the SUW and could not agree more. Never had a midge problem. Great video, great advice and amazing scenery!

[@1spissatus]

I have experienced midgie problems in the Lake District when camping. Once they have your scent there is little you can do escape them. Any form of smoke deters them to a certain extent, even incense sticks. From past experience I have always preferred visiting Scotland in the early spring. There is usually snow on the mountains, no midgies around and the roads are very quiet. Skye can be horrendous at times with all the huge camper vans that invade it. A pity the midgies can’t be trained to attack the occupants of them!

[@morrisoff]

Another Smidge fan here! :-)

[@butchbinion1560]

Thanks. ✌🏻👊

[@vincentgregory5220]

We are biking the SUW at the moment - no problem with midges but the bleedin flies are a bugger (particularly the Stroanfreggan to Polskech). Trying the Vicks Vapour rub idea from the forrester we met.

[@lauriesmith7848]

Brilliant video team SUW

[@southernuplandway3440]

Thanks :-)

[@michaelfollows8838]

Nice video. I'm looking forward to your video on ticks.

[@southernuplandway3440]

Thanks, I'm working on the tick video at the moment so hopefully it will be done in a month or so.

[@gina2190]

What’s best indoor pesticide for a big problem with them ? Drains infested too. Thanks kindly

[@bendenisereedy7865]

Midges hate sunshine and breezes and don't really appear until May so a dull windless midsummer day is bad. Generally you can outrun them but you can't outrun clegs or horseflies, which can move at 50 mph and like sunny dry places, nasty little buggers altogether.
DEET works well, in products like Smidge DEET is at varying dosages in a carrier like mineral oil. But DEET is a plasticiser so can damage plastics and it comes out in your urine for 48 hours after you've applied it as the molecule is readily absorbed. Ticks are another pest, just stay out of long grass and foliage.

[@wanderingcloud78]

I walked Southern Upland two years ago; didn't see a single midge.

[@intricatecinnamonhat9150]

Scottish Minge?

[@redpillnibbler4423]

Avon skin so soft?

[@pmcpmc8005]

I hate Horseflies. I'd rather be bitten by midges even though I don't want to be bit lol.