Some folks are worried that Paul Lister wants to reintroduce fierce predators like the lynx, wolf and bear at Alladale (there was a great TV documentary on the subject - see here).That's nothing. The Highlands already have the most ferocious creature known to man - the midge, also known as Culicoides impunctatus or "those little b@$t4rd$".
I'm heading off to north-west Scotland shortly, and know just what to expect - they're always bad this time of year, and occasionally I've had to cut short a stalking or fishing trip because the clouds of midges are so thick you can't see where you're going!
I've tried all the DEET-based repellents, and even rubbed my skin with bog myrtle, with some success. But when they're really bad, nothing is powerful enough.
A good few natives swear by Avon's 'Skin So Soft' moisturiser as a repellent, although it's an odd picture when you imagine a hairy-@r$ed Highland stalker rubbing on a bath & body oil. I'm not proud; I've ordered a bottle on ebay to give it a try!
Looking around the web, I've discovered there's a whole industry sprung up around the Scottish midge. There's a midge forecast, a weekly midge podcast, and Midge Busters will sell you anything from a £625 midge eating machine to a £5 bottle of dead midges you can take home and gloat at.
1 comment:
Haha a bottle of dead midges to gloat at i would love one haha. Just ignore them and they will go away, swating them away will just attract more or you could just take a can of "RAID!" one skoosh and the whole cloud just falls dead its fun to see! or try "jungle formula" i dont know where to get it but it works really well if you cover yourself in it. a midge once died in front of me and i had only just taken the lid off!
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