Visiting the west coast in August - midge mayhem?

[pogofish]

My neighbors the last two nights are Irish hippies. Very musical - and pretty good with it. An utterly unfeasible number of children though and the phrase "careful with that mandolin now" could enter general use!

Again only a brief, light flurry of midgies first and last thing. Over in minutes.

Away to pack up and head for my first attempt to get a boat. I could spend the next few days camped by Tarbert Pier!

 

[pogofish]

Made it back to Skye - five standby vehicles got on and I was number four! Now pitched at Uig and contemplating the local brewery products in the pub at the pier. Decide if I head home in the morning.

 

[pogofish]

Made it back to Skye - five standby vehicles got on and I was number four! Now pitched at Uig and contemplating the local brewery products in the pub at the pier. Decide if I head home in the morning.

 

[fishfinger]

Made it back to Skye - five standby vehicles got on and I was number four! Now pitched at Uig and contemplating the local brewery products in the pub at the pier. Decide if I head home in the morning.

There's already a post about this:

Visiting the west coast in August - midge mayhem?

 

[pogofish]

There's already a post about this:

Visiting the west coast in August - midge mayhem?

Curtosey of wonky Highland Internet!

 

[pogofish]

And there may be a few repeat beers sunk tonight too!

 

[pogofish]

Oh and no midges - None whatsoever, which is what I like most about Uig. It's location out on the end of a peninsula means it seldom if ever gets midgies!

Tomorrow morning's standbys are queuing already for the early sailing, which is always one of the busiest of the week for commercial traffic. So I don't think many will get on.

 

[pogofish]

I'd totally forgoten that this bar was quite so eccentric!

The owner just turned up, pished, started dishing up drinks to everyone and decided to replace the muzak with ACDC at some volume!

 

[Sue]

I'd totally forgoten that this bar was quite so eccentric!

The owner just turned up, pished, started dishing up drinks to everyone and decided to replace the muzak with ACDC at some volume!

On a Sunday?!

 

[pogofish]

On a Sunday?!

Yup! - I now remember there was a reason I couldnae find my tent the last time I was in this place.

 

[teuchter]

No one respects the lord's day any more

Once upon a time they would have been lying on the pier to stop Calmac running services.

 

[weepiper]

In Arisaig. I can report: nae midgies at all in Barra, glorious sunshine. Shit loads in South Uist mixed glorious sunshine and fearsome wet bluster. Far too much rain and fierce gales in Benbecula for biting things. Fucktons of midgies and also massive evil horseflies round Loch Morar where we were today ((my legs)) (((my forehead))) but also two golden eagles sat on a fence not twenty feet away, so, you know. Swings and roundabouts. And it looks like this:


Eigg tomorrow.

 

[pogofish]

A few shots, in no particular order:

 

[weepiper]

Eigg weather/midge update: like being in the Somme only without the machine guns. Despite this I still got bitten to shreds
pogofish cracking shots!
Some of my pics:

 

[teuchter]

I feel a bit homesick now

 

[pogofish]

In Applecross, sitting outside bar - but where are the midges?

 

[teuchter]

In Applecross, sitting outside bar - but where are the midges?

Do you reckon the midge count has been lower than usual this summer?

 

[pogofish]

I'm told that in some places it has been very high but everywhere I've been so far that normally suffers has been virtually midgie-free.

It rained quite heavily overnight, settling down about dawn, so there were a few buzzing about this morning but they didn't last long and it tbh was hardly worth putting on any repellent. I was even able to lie out in the sun at the campsite without getting significantly nibbled.

 

[pogofish]

One thought I've had is that the larval stage requires what 2-3 days in standing water at @13C before the midge takes flight in search of a blood meal, so in places that have been much dryer than normal, this stage would be interrupted and the size of any hatch would be significantly reduced.

However, 2-3 days steady rain at current temperatures, then the resulting hatch would be massive!

 

[teuchter]

I will be up there in a week or two so will make my own assessment...

 

[Pickman's model]

I will be up there in a week or two so will make my own assessment...

good

 

[pogofish]

Some, midgie activity on the low ground past the village last night but by the time I got back to the tent to DEET-up, it had fallen off nicely and not a nibble all night. Then a short burst of light activity first thing that lasted no more than 40 mins.

 

[pogofish]

Cannich now, a bit higher on the midgie scale but still pretty bearable

 

[pogofish]

Found the fuckers - Assynt!

This is bad. Thought it was drizzle but it turned out to be a huge, thick cloud of midgies.

Now cowering in the back of the car - and the DEET is in the front. WAAAHHHHH. !

 

[friedaweed]

Found the fuckers - Assynt!

This is bad. Thought it was drizzle but it turned out to be a huge, thick cloud of midgies.

Now cowering in the back of the car - and the DEET is in the front. WAAAHHHHH. !

That's where I'm heading tomorrow

 

[pogofish]

Hope its blown over by the time you get here then but Sunday seems dreich all over.

Wind and rain put the midgies to flight but its forecast to gust up to 60/70mph tonight - my neighbours gave-up on trying to put-up their huge tunnel tent some time ago - pegging it down first would have helped! Plus the campervan opposite has just taken its deckchairs in, so things must be getting bad.

Fishing hasn't been worth a damm but its the first time I've managed to cast since I bust my arm, so I'm happy whatever.

 

[friedaweed]

Hope its blown over by the time you get here then but Sunday seems dreich all over.

Wind and rain put the midgies to flight but its forecast to gust up to 60/70mph tonight - my neighbours gave-up on trying to put-up their huge tunnel tent some time ago - pegging it down first would have helped! Plus the campervan opposite has just taken its deckchairs in, so things must be getting bad.

Fishing hasn't been worth a damm but its the first time I've managed to cast since I bust my arm, so I'm happy whatever.

Sounds like surf could be up then

Staying near Clachtoll. Looking forward to getting into the hills with the rod

 

[pogofish]

Good lochs just north of Clachtoll and excellent near copper color trout - I'm on the Assynt Assoc waters south of the Lochinver road this time. Do you know the permit sellers have changed a bit? I ended up at the Chandler down by the harbour/hostel this time.

Wind has eased off a bit - for now.

 

[friedaweed]

Good lochs just north of Clachtoll and excellent near copper color trout - I'm on the Assynt Assoc waters south of the Lochinver road this time. Do you know the permit sellers have changed a bit? I ended up at the Chandler down by the harbour/hostel this time.

Wind has eased off a bit - for now.

Cheers, first time up there, was thinking the post office?. I'll pick mine up there though on the way through

Tight lines

 

[pogofish]

Think you will be OK at the PO - Which is in the Spar now. The old info centre is gone and the new, volunteer run place no longer sells them but the hardware store across the road does.