Locomotoring

If going to Scotland during summer, you would be armed against bugs. Question is, does the armory work? The other question is, would it be a Scottish summer walk if the bugs don’t get you?

There are two primary categories of Scottish summer bugs that bite. A wee little gnat, called midge that swarms in shade. And a robust horsefly (or cleg in Scottish) that prefers a sunny heath or moorland. The first one can’t bite through clothes, it can’t handle wind. You don’t feel the midge bite, the bite sites itches later. The second one has vicious fangs, their bite hurts and itches at the same time, and not much gets in their way. I had read that midges prefer certain hosts, like mosquitos. That meant trouble. I already knew that I was a mosquito attractor. So I got heavily armed against the wee gnat since that was the only thing I could arm against. The armory, in addition to long sleeved shirts and ankle length trousers, included perfume – Avon “Skin So Soft” dry oil spray. Apparently, the midges do not like that particular perfume. Then, a deterrent, Smidge. The claim is to deter all biting insects including mosquitos and ticks and being water resistant. And finally, the battleshield, a superfine head net, especially designed so the wee gnats couldn’t get in.

During the Old Man of Storr walk, I got bitten by hundreds of midges. I was busy navigating the thousand steps that led to the old man. I didn’t notice the midges while walking, but later that night I noticed my neck, hands and wrist covered in midge bites. The midge forecast has suggested “moderate” number of midges. I had left the BnB after liberally smearing myself with Avon. By the time the evening walk to Storr had come around, many hours had gone by.