Bivvy+tarp in Scotland

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

robjh

Legendary Member
I'm thinking of a few days cycling + camping in the Highlands in the next few weeks, and normally take just a bivvy bag rather than a tent for sleeping.
But in Scotland I'm thinking midges: is a bivvy+tarp combination reasonable in the Scottish Highlands in August, or would a tent offer a lot more protection? My bivvy bag has a mesh inside cover at the head end but space is pretty limited once I'm zipped in there and would preclude eg. food preparation, or much else.
 

Catweasel

Active Member
Location
Vienna
I've camped a lot in the highlands but never used a bivvy - always a tent - and liberal amounts of skin so soft, a sacrificial victim and a willingness to always have extra protein in my diet. I'd never use a bivvy. A cheap but reasonable tent's gonna set you back what? 50 quid and weigh 2.5kg? maybe 3?
 

DRHysted

Guru
Location
New Forest
The midges in Scotland are a super breed that keep me out between June & September. I certainly wouldn't travel without better cover.
Of course there are some people who are not effected by the midges, if you're one of them then go for it.
 

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
Autan is what I take to Indonesia and it works brilliantly. It reassuringly stings and will hopefully keep the midges away in Argylshire at the end of this month.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
Is Jungle Formula any good against them? I used it with some success decades ago but they've probably had to downgrade it's evil properties in order to comply with blah, blah, blah. I was impressed that it was actually quite good at dissolving the surface of my plastic-bodied camera, which still has my fingerprint engraved on it
 
It will depend: Sometimes you will get eaten and sometimes you won't. Unfortunately morning and evening is normally the worst.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
the diethyl tolumide (DEET) stuff does work - in that the midge cloud stay in a cloud maybe 3 inches from your face but don't actually land or bite. Fairly unpleasant all the same but much less bad than the blighters covering you.

It does indeed dissolve many kinds of plastic - for instance if a pot of it leaks in the hot sun on your dashboard it can dissolve a hole in the dashboard, into the glove box, and out the bottom of the glove box onto the carpet beneath.

To the OP - a tarp rather than a tent in the highlands in August - you would be nuts to even consider this.

I recall a horrific attack, in the west of Ireland rather than Scotland as it happens although West-of Ireland not found too bad previously - the density of biting insects was on on a par to hairs on your arms. Was wearing shorts and had to go up one arm with the other hand scraping a dark ring of squashed insects, then the other arm, each leg, by which time a few hundred were settled and biting the first arm again. Horrible, horrible, horrible !

I've had them biting me in the rain i Knoydart - only annoying level rather than the full horror, but half hour outside to cook my tea was enough, and skulked back into the tent pdq after. Even at the low levels of them in the Lakes last week we were driven into the tent most evenings when we'd rather have sat outside. A full on Highlands attack without a tent to hide in doesn't bear thinking about.
 
OP
OP
robjh

robjh

Legendary Member
Hmm, some of these descriptions of the midge terror are making me think I should reconsider my destination this summer, and leave Scotland for a warm May or June another year.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Hmm, some of these descriptions of the midge terror are making me think I should reconsider my destination this summer, and leave Scotland for a warm May or June another year.

Although I do avoid midge high season pretty much entirely, it does depend on what you'll be doing activity wise I guess. CYycle-Camping but eating in pub, maybe exposure is limited during midge hours (just maybe): similarly hillwalking. Sitting out in boggy areas in the evening - not so appealing
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
Well I'm taking a Tarp to the Outer Hebrides where I understand they're not so bad. This may be due to the incessant wind .....
Must remember some jungle juice or similar.
Hostels are my back-up.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Well I'm taking a Tarp to the Outer Hebrides where I understand they're not so bad. This may be due to the incessant wind .....
Must remember some jungle juice or similar.
Hostels are my back-up.

Skye (inner hebridies) is said to be very bad indeed in Summer. I doubt if Harris-Lewis is going to be much better, though I don't know that for a fact
 
Top Bottom