[Fiend]

Go to Dumby and get the added bonus of local culture, wildlife, and fine beverages too.

[GazM]

A few other things to whet you're appetite, mainly from over Torridon/Ullapool way:

[Will Hunt]

Just to hammer the point home about midges:

Midges:
A true West Coast midge attack can't be described or even imagined, but only experienced (and *possibly* survived). They can be appallingly bad in summer, and are at their worst on still, cloudy days especially during the evening. Wind is absolutely crucial, any breeze about 5-10mph will force them to hide. Strong sunlight can also put them off. Keep checking the weather for the wind direction and make sure your camping is exposed to it. Take Mosi Guard / Deet / Smidge and a midge headnet if needed.

  except for the bit about DEET and sprays. The only effective repellent is a physical barrier between you and the midges. Midge head net is an imperative, with hands in pockets and socks tucked into trousers. You will look stupid, but if you find yourself in Category 4 or 5 conditions then it is the only way you will get out alive. Any breeze will neutralise the threat but at that time of year, ANY moment of stillness in a grassy area will mean that they are on you. I have a rating system for midges that is based not on the count of midges in the air, but on the effect on the victim:

Category 1: No midges present, no problem. Except for the deep sense of dread that the wind will drop with no warning and you'll find yourself instantly in Category 5.
Category 2: One or two visible midges every now and again. They cause you no problem but if you don't have a powerful sense of dread then you are either sure that the wind will stay, sure that the month is April or May, or you have never experienced Category 5.
Category 3: This is where midges become a problem. Hand swatting will occur with varying regularity depending on the mental resilience of the victim. You will get bitten. In hours to come your skin will still crawl with the phantom midges that your brain still tells you are crawling in your hair. It is likely that if you're at Category 3 then you will not be able to stay where you are for more than 10 minutes or so.
Category 4: This shit just got real. It is now impossible for a conscious human being to remain still. You will be running around, desperately trying to create wind by moving through the body of still air. This will not work because wherever you run you will just be running into more midges. Your only hope is to escape as quickly as you can. If you are in a sealed tent or a single glazed bothy then you will know that this is going on outside because it will sound like it's raining. This is not rain, it is the sound of the midges ricocheting off tent fabric or window glass. They know where you are, and THEY ARE TRYING TO GET IN. This is not an exaggeration - I have direct experience of this.
Category 5: If you have truly experienced this level of midge hell, then you don't need to wonder whether you've experienced it. You will know, with no doubt. It is simply impossible to remain still. Even physical barriers will start to be overrun as the midges find tiny gaps between the layers that are protecting you. If not wearing a head net it will be difficult to breathe without choking. If you look at your arms you will see a brown seething, writhing mass as they have covered every inch of you. You no longer have any friends. Any other humans, friends, offspring, or loved ones who you are with will be abandoned as you flee. If they cannot keep up, they will be consumed. Phantom midge bites and skin crawling may continue for days after. You will never be the same again, because you will have seen Hell.



With this in mind, if the dates of the trip are none negotiable it would be worth thinking about your priorities. In the worst case it will be either raining or still on most days you are there. On these days you'll have to remain indoors or in urbanised, unvegetated areas. If this is going to be a problem then consider a trip to Cornwall or somewhere else more reliable.

[dave]

Last time I was up in August it was Arran and to be honest midges barely got past the Category 2 level above, i.e.no worse than a poorly chosen Peak summer grit venue, mainly due to diligently watching the wind and choosing activities (and crucially my evening camera outings) appropriately.  In marginal conditions I did find that Smidge stuff to work OK, but obviously avoidance is better.

[T_B]

Surely trouble and stife would prefer eurotunnel over long drive north for a combination of rain and death by The Midge?! All that shaking of the head to get the midges out of her face is not going to be pleasant.

If you can't sell Font, what about Britnae?

[dave]

It's an option but for various reasons an ultra-chilled out Scotland vibe is likely to be prefered choice. If I was going to drive even further to France I'd just carry on to the Alps anyway. Obviously things can change but I'm just thinking ahead. I've been wanting to get back up north properly for years anyway so it's no hardship.

[slackline]

I have a rating system for midges that is based not on the count of midges in the air, but on the effect on the victim:

Kevin Howett gave crags midge ratings in his Constable Rock Climbing in Scotland guide.

[Will Hunt]

For context in the above system, if you're not in Scotland then it is unlikely that you're experiencing more than Category 3. I've seen mid-high category 3 at Troller's Gill, and intermittent mid Category 3 at Great Wolfrey on a perfectly still summer's day. It's bad, but it can be so much worse.

[tomtom]

One of my colleagues does summer fieldwork in North Eastern Siberia. He has said that all Scotland can offer midge wise pales to insignificance compared to the beasties there..

[Fiend]

That's all well and good but I doubt Dave is gonna get his missus to Siberia with not-labyrinthitis.

[Oldmanmatt]

One of my colleagues does summer fieldwork in North Eastern Siberia. He has said that all Scotland can offer midge wise pales to insignificance compared to the beasties there..

Four months summer Exped Greenland.
Note to self: Next time FULL BEEKEEPING OUTFIT AND AIRLOCK TENTS.
That is all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Will Hunt]

This thread has really set me thinking about midges. I've seen high Cat 3/low Cat 4 in England once. It was this summer and we had just rocked up next to Wasdale after a day on Scafell to camp. We had to cook food and put up tents. Never before has this task been achieved so fast. It was every man for himself. Dunnyg was there. He knows.

[T_B]

I have experienced Cat 4 at dusk, belaying at the top of Etive Slabs. I fantasized about untying my mate and hurling myself down the slabs. A slow, bouncing death preferable to being eaten alive.

I have been to Southern Greenland twice in summer, and whilst flies and mozzies are annoying (full body cover required), they do not compare to The Scottish Midge.

[Will Hunt]

The Scottish midge can't compete in terms of bite pain with lots of things like sandflies, but for sheer numbers they make up for it. You can swat as many as you like but more will appear from the legion to take their place. The swarm is like a hydra.

[Nigel]

Alright word, I would say Ullapool area is the place for ya, especially if you've not been up that far before. Its a nice place with all the mod cons (c.f. Fort William for example!) and as soon as you drive North the scenery is beyond belief. Well situated for Reiff and Torridon, though obvs Scottish road time warp rules apply i.e. they might look close ont map but they'll take longer than you think. Like nearly an hour to Reiff. The only other comment I will make is prepared to be disappointed with Ardmair beach bouldering, its not that good. Which is a shame as its the "local" crag to Ullapool. That said it passes the time. Ardmair crag might be better but not bouldered there. Can't see it being worse though. Bouldering cliff at Reiff and all of Torridon is ace. Not been to Reiff in Woods but looks sweet as.

[dave]

Nice one dollsnatch.

[Oldmanmatt]

I have experienced Cat 4 at dusk, belaying at the top of Etive Slabs. I fantasized about untying my mate and hurling myself down the slabs. A slow, bouncing death preferable to being eaten alive.

I have been to Southern Greenland twice in summer, and whilst flies and mozzies are annoying (full body cover required), they do not compare to The Scottish Midge.

God! Inland from Nuuk was the worst. You couldn't breath! I'd done the Labrador coast the year before and thought that was way worse than Skye, but this was something else. Belize sucked (ha ha) too, but they were sneaky bastards...

Love the "cat 3/4" reference to density, not heard that one before.

All posts either sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek or mildly mocking-in-a-friendly-way unless otherwise stated. I always forget to put those smiley things...

[SA Chris]

Ardmair beach isn't great, but good for a quick hit if passing. The pebble beach there produces the most fantastic skimming stones.

[dave]

OK anyone north of the border bought/seen/used the new Stone Country guide yet?

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,14805.msg542230.html#msg542230

Had a quick look in Outside the other day. Last one I had was the first edition which was borderline unusable garbage. This one looks a lot better superficially, although photo repro didn't look amazing (granted that's not why you buy it). Anyone who's been through it in detail care to comment on the quality and usability of the new one before I spend 8 fuckalls on a copy? Cheers

[Will Hunt]

I'm just thinking about a summer-ish holiday this year. Does anyone know when midge season starts to wind down? I know about the pre-season, in that April is kosher and early May is unlikely to be bad. What about September? In the Hebrides it looks like you get a nice settled period of less rain before the winter storms arrive, but if the midges are still rife then I need to rethink.

[duncan]

In my experience (intermittent visitor) it depends on the summer. Warm and wet means a 3rd generation of the blighters still biting in late September; dry and hot and they're mostly gone by early in the month.

[sherlock]

I'm just thinking about a summer-ish holiday this year. Does anyone know when midge season starts to wind down? I know about the pre-season, in that April is kosher and early May is unlikely to be bad. What about September? In the Hebrides it looks like you get a nice settled period of less rain before the winter storms arrive, but if the midges are still rife then I need to rethink.

Will,don't know where you mean in the Hebrides,it's quite a big area!
We've certainly been bothered Lewis/Harris as late as early October.Not unbearable but isuppose it depends on your tolerance levels.....
Don't know about the Inner Hebs/Small Isles.
Skye is usually ok from mid Sept in my experience but as Duncan said above it *can* depend on the previous summer although this isn't concrete fact.

[SA Chris]

OK anyone north of the border bought/seen/used the new Stone Country guide yet?

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,14805.msg542230.html#msg542230

Had a quick look in Outside the other day. Last one I had was the first edition which was borderline unusable garbage. This one looks a lot better superficially, although photo repro didn't look amazing (granted that's not why you buy it). Anyone who's been through it in detail care to comment on the quality and usability of the new one before I spend 8 fuckalls on a copy? Cheers

Just been browsing the new copy that arrived on my desk today. It's a great jump in quality from the last one, and has some new areas I didn't know about and keen to explore further. If you intend visit Scotland to boulder even on an infrequent basis it's worthwhile. I think after this the guides are going to be broken up into local areas, so this will be the last "bumper" guide.

[SA Chris]

Will,don't know where you mean in the Hebrides,it's quite a big area!

This. We spent a week camping on the machair on N Uist in mid August, and got bothered on just one evening, but we were very lucky as the weather was either bright sunshine or howling wind (or often both). It's a lot more likely to be breezy on the coast of the outer hebrides than inland though, or on the inner islands. The only way you are guaranteed to be midge free is after the first frost, which can be October. Are you planning on cragging or just cruising about? Bear in mind that late summer / autumn is when there can be biggest seas, rendering a lot of the seacliffs inaccessible.

[Will Hunt]

We'd be cruising in a campervan, though the possibility of a spot of bouldering isn't impossible. Ideally for me we'd visit the outer Hebrides.