Have the Glencoe midges been that bad this year?

[LewisDavie]

When I plan a walk I look up two things - the weather forecast, and the midge forecast from Smidge. I try to aim for places that score 1 or 2 out of the total 5, although a 3 is bearable if it looks like there's a possibility of wind.

What baffles me utterly, is that Glencoe has been a solid 5/5 ever since I started doing these hikes over a month ago. And believe me, I've checked a lot! Up to this point I've pretty much written off the concept of doing any Munro bagging in the area because of my utter hatred for midges. I'd sooner have constant wind and rain and zero visibility at the top than have to deal with them.

I wanted to check though, because it seems to me that surely the entire region can't be a constant midge hell. I know how bad it can get - I'm sure we've all seen that horrific video from Torridon - but it can't be that bad all the time... can it?

Is the forecast wrong or should I avoid at all costs this season?

[akiggins]

So basically the midges seem to be horrific, this is literally the first time in my life I have been chased off by midges. Tried to camp at Loch Quioch a few weeks ago. The wind died at about 8pm and we had to abandon all hope and drove back to Glasgow.
Glencoe/GlenEtive seem to be midge-tastic. I was there several weeks ago, but it was blowing a hoolie so they didn't bother me that day. I literally have PTSD at the moment.
I've been in the S. Cairngorms a few of times this summer and it seems better, but again it was windy so ymmv.

[LewisDavie]

Wow akiggins, that's terrifying. I too have horrible flashbacks to a time I spent in the Highlands for work. I honestly have nightmares about insects and even a couple flying about is enough to make my flail my arms trying to bat them off. I can't even imagine what your experience must have been like.

Maybe the midges are in cahoots with government this year trying to get people to stay home!

[jmarkb]

I'm a bit skeptical about the midge forecast - there seems to be no day to day variation this week, which is odd because Thu and Fri look to be quite windy. Perhaps their weather data feed is broken?

[Marty_JG]

I camped in the Kilpatrick Braes a couple of weeks ago, forecast was 2/5. Fine. So I hiked to Duncolm, it was still, and they swarmed and swarmed and swarmed. I was covered in smidge and, honestly, it probably saved a lot of bites - but it was still too horrific to stay. So I abandoned the camp and started walking back and in the half our or so by the time I'd gotten to Loch Humphrey a bit of wind had picked up, enough to clear the wee beasties, so I camped after all and it was lovely.

TL,DR: don't only rely on the smidge forecast.

[LewisDavie]

I'm a bit skeptical about the midge forecast - there seems to be no day to day variation this week, which is odd because Thu and Fri look to be quite windy. Perhaps their weather data feed is broken?

I'm seeing a 2 for Dalwhinnie becoming a 3 at the weekend, same for Aviemore. Although I'm not sure if that means the lack of variation in other areas is a coincidence or perhaps different weather feeds having an issue.

[denfinella]

I've heard that the midges are particularly bad this year, though haven't experienced that myself.

But the midge forecast pretty much solidly forecasts 5/5 for Glencoe and Fort William every summer.

Also, it depends on where the midge traps are which make the forecasts. The one on Skye is in Portree, which gives a lower score than if it was e.g. Sligachan.

[Giant Stoneater]

If you think the midges have been bad so far,the second batch is just about to hatch.

[LewisDavie]

If you think the midges have been bad so far,the second batch is just about to hatch.

There's a WHAT? Oh god.

[Caberfeidh]

Did you see this video of the midgies in Torridon , its a gharstly nightmare. I saw them like that once in Sutherland, we heard them pattering on the tent and thought it was rain, until we looked outside...

https://twitter.com/alexnail/status/1296008758393556992

[Spade]

Give this wee number a go, I got 45 seconds
https://m.facebook.com/658551547588605/posts/2984034021707001/?sfnsn=scwspwa&extid=eai24VW1d9LkKohi&d=w&vh=e

[jupe1407]

I've only been that way once this year, well down the bottom of Glen Etive a couple of weeks ago. Very warm and flat calm all day. They weren't horrific, just fairly annoying. Of the four Etive munro summits we did, we had midges annoying us on the first two, then weirdly a huge swarm of deer keds on Stob Coire an'Albannaich. We didn't stop at Meall nan Eun because it's a boring summit and we were tired, with a crap descent to look forward to.

I saw Alex Nail's video on Facebook. THAT looked horrific!

[madprof]

Give this wee number a go, I got 45 seconds
https://m.facebook.com/658551547588605/posts/2984034021707001/?sfnsn=scwspwa&extid=eai24VW1d9LkKohi&d=w&vh=e

Why in the name of all that is holy would you do that to yourself!?