Aside from its outstanding natural beauty, Scotland is well known for its high population of midges and wee biting beasties. Milder, wetter winters will I suspect lead to more successful midge breeding and increasingly it seems that insects that once failed to survive hard frosts are now wintering through. Scotland is not unique with its biting beasties, but the word seems to have spread far and wide, of the dreaded Scottish midge. I'm happy to recommend this solution, it changed the game for me at the end of last summer and I've just packed them in the bag for new week's trip to Scotland.

These are the names of the mountains in the background, by the way, not the women in the foreground. They usually come in their own little pouch so you can easily clip it onto your bag, coat or belt with a carabiner. If you can see the mesh of any net with your naked eye, the midges will probably be able to get through it. While not sold as an insect repellent, it does seem to work to prevent, or at least reduce, midge bites – at least for a while.Once midges are drawn into a midge trap, they are usually drawn into a vessel by a strong vacuum fan.

Midges in Scotland love still, warm evenings after rain – as here in the valley of the River Dee, near Banchory, Aberdeenshire. A midge bite is annoying and often uncomfortable, not painful – they usually cause small, red lumps that can be very itchy. Actually, instead of making your own anti-midge hat, you should take a look at this wide-brimmed sun hat – fraction of the cost of a Tilley! They are used in gardens, campsites and in other locations where midge numbers are problematic for humans living or working in the vicinity.Midges are also worse throughout the spring, summer and early autumn when the weather is humid and still. We have read of the misery of the midges, and our mosquitoes back home REALLY like me, so we want to be prepared.