Author Topic: Taking a one-year old to Scotland - A few concerns...  (Read 2968 times)

SpartakBang!

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Hi everyone - This is my first time on this forum - I'd appreciate a little advice....

My wife and I and are two kids (aged almost 14 and 15) were blessed with an unexpected addition to the family last August - little Archie will be one year old when we plan to visit Scotland for the first time this year - in fact he'll be celebrating his first birtday during our trip.

Pre-Archie, We have done quite a bit of walking in the South Downs (where we live), lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Peak District in the summer, and have never been bothered by midges.

We want to visit Skye and the Highlands this August and while I'm not too concerned with the four older members of the family all of whom can all take precautions (Deet, Citronella etc..) I am a little concerned by Archie's welfare.

So my question is ...

Given that we're committed to visitng Scotland - Can anyone recommend visually beautiful, serene places to spend two seperate weeks that are LESS likely to be ttractive to midges than Skye or the Westren Isles are?

OR ....  From what I understand, midges are more prevalent at dawn/dusk where (with a young child) we're more likely to be close to our Self Catering accomodation.  Is it sensible to book places that are NOT near (static) water - would this help?

Thanks all - Look forward to your comments !!!




ukmase

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 789
Re: Taking a one-year old to Scotland - A few concerns...
« Reply #1 on: 12:26:18, 10/01/08 »
Walk up high if possible where it is a bit windier. Midges cant fly in winds over 5mph. 8)

mike knipe

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2872
Re: Taking a one-year old to Scotland - A few concerns...
« Reply #2 on: 12:27:04, 10/01/08 »
Midgies start to get really troublesome from around the end of July  and August is probably the worst month. They're attracted to people by scenting the carbon dioxide in the breath and only the female midgies bite because they need the blood meal to fuel egg laying. Apparently, they can detect an individual from at least a kilometre away, so in the right conditions you're likely to attract lots and lots of them, accompanied by clouds of males, and there's not much prospect of avoiding them if you're outside . They particularly like still , warm, cloudy and damp conditions. They dont like hot sun or windy conditions, so they wont be active all the time. They can be much worse than you could possibly expect, though and the only really effective tactic is to stay inside with the doors and windows closed.
Skye is a particularly midge-infested place as is most of the west coast and centre of the Highlands - mainly West of the A9.
Many people (including forestry workers) use Avon skin-so-soft which is very effective and could be suitable for a sprog - but check that with a doctor
A lot of people also use mozzie netting and you can buy head covers quite cheaply - these are gettimng to be quite a common sight.
So, one option might be to protect little Archie (and yourselves) with some fine mesh netting at the crucial times.
It will be OK when its windy, which it often is in the West.
Alternatively, go East eg to the Angus Glens or Cairngorms or Moray - all every beautiful places. There are midgies, as there are in England,  but not as many because its much drier.
Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

See the blog!  www.northernpies.blogspot.com

kkm

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: Taking a one-year old to Scotland - A few concerns...
« Reply #3 on: 12:54:54, 10/01/08 »
i can remember taking a family holiday in scotland - on the banks of loch lomond when my eldest was 15 months. we had a whale of a time, but it was before we had the hiking bug, so it really was just a family holiday. 
we went in mid june, and i cant remember having too many probs with the  midges. the advice i was givne was to use lemon shower gel to was in, as a natural insect repellent.

enjoy your holiday. and try and look for natural products you can use on archie  :)

SpartakBang!

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: Taking a one-year old to Scotland - A few concerns...
« Reply #4 on: 14:58:31, 10/01/08 »
Thanks to all of you for your replies....

Really looking forward to thr trip to be honest - We have always wanted to journey to Scotland for a holiday, and after not having had a proper break last year with the birth of Archie, and the year before because of a house move I think and hope we can have three weeks this year

I mentioned to my wife last night that I though midges could be a bit of a problem (i did a small bit of research) and foolishly said that perhaps we may have to consider going to Wales or Cornwall instead.  Didn't go down well AT all ;) - so Scotland it is.  I'm perfectly happy with this, but would really appreciate alternatives to skye (which Mike and kkm have provided - Thank You!).

Ok - I'll have a wander round this forum on and off - like I say, I've just joined today.  Looking forward to sharing experiences and stories.

Steve


 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy