Camping in Scotland during midge season changes the relationship between you and the landscape. A day hiker passes through; a camper occupies. You sit still at dawn and dusk — exactly when the Highland biting midge operates. Midge-aware camping is manageable, but it requires planning that most visitors do not do until after their first bad night.
Pitch site selection: the single most important decision
Where you pitch determines your midge exposure more than any other factor — more than repellent, more than tent type, more than the season. The choice of campsite is the choice of whether the evening is comfortable or spent inside a sealed tent at 6pm.
Wind exposure dominates. Pitch where the prevailing wind reaches you. On a typical Highland summer day, a gentle breeze of 5-7mph is enough to keep midges grounded. The difference between a breezy ridge and a sheltered hollow fifty metres away is the difference between a comfortable evening and an intolerable one. Do not pitch in a dip, a gully, behind a hillock, or in any spot where the air feels still when surrounding ridges are moving. Walk an extra five minutes to find exposed ground — it is the most effective midge prevention available and it costs nothing.
Altitude is a reliable arbiter. Above 300 metres on open, exposed ground, the airflow regime changes and midge density drops measurably. Above 600 metres the Cairngorm plateau is midge-free on most summer nights because the temperature is too low and the wind exposure too consistent. The transition is not gradual — there is a clear treeline boundary below which the conditions change sharply.
Distance from water matters. Pitching next to a loch or river is scenic, but still water at dusk is a midge feeding station. The combination of damp ground and still air creates ideal conditions. Pitch at least 100 metres from open water when midge season is active. If the only available pitch is near water, position yourself so the breeze from the water reaches you, not the other way around.
Ground cover affects breeding. Short grass or heather is better than bracken, long grass, or boggy ground. The larvae develop in damp soil and organic matter; the less of that near your tent, the fewer midges emerge in your immediate vicinity.
The ideal pitch: Slightly elevated ground at 300-400 metres, with a clear fetch of at least 200 metres in the direction of the prevailing wind, on short grass or open heather, at least 100 metres from standing water. These pitches exist; they just are not the ones in the guidebook photographs.
Wild camping vs campsite: different problems
Wild camping: you control the pitch location. This is an advantage — you can choose the ridgeline rather than the sheltered glen floor. The disadvantage is that you are arriving at the site, assessing conditions, and pitching in real time, often in the evening when the light is fading and you are tired. This is exactly when midge conditions are at their worst and your decision-making is most compromised. The discipline is to prioritise wind exposure over view, shelter, or flat ground.
Campsites: you do not control the location, but you can control which pitch you take within the site. Choose the most exposed, highest pitch available. Avoid pitches bordered by woodland, hedgerows, or drainage ditches. The campsite's toilet block area and the washing-up stations are often sheltered by buildings and trees — these are the worst places to linger at dusk.
Cooking: timing, technique, and the heat plume
Cooking outside at dusk attracts midges because you are stationary, producing heat and CO2, and handling food. The practical solution is timing. Cook early — have the meal done before the still air of dusk settles, typically by 6pm in midsummer. If you must cook at dusk, cook directly over the stove flame. The heat plume rises and creates a small local zone of reduced midge activity immediately around the burner. Do not sit downwind of the cooking area with exposed skin — the scent carries.
Enclosed-system stoves such as Jetboil minimise exposure time because the water boils faster and you seal the food container immediately. Open stoves and pot-based cooking leave you exposed longer. This is a marginal gain compared to pitch selection, but it compounds with other choices.
Smoke from a campfire, if you are permitted to have one, provides a larger zone of reduced activity. The smoke masks the chemical signals midges use to locate hosts, and the heat plume disrupts their flight. The effect is limited to the immediate area around the fire and lasts only as long as the fire is producing smoke.
Head nets: what to look for
A midge head net is the single most effective item of midge-season camping equipment you can carry. It costs under a tenner, weighs less than 50 grams, and changes the evening experience from a trial to an inconvenience. The net keeps midges away from the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth — the parts of the body that are hardest to cover with repellent and that people reflexively touch, transferring repellent away.
What to look for in a head net: mesh size matters. Midges are 1-2mm. The net needs a mesh opening of less than 1mm to exclude them. Most manufacturer specifications list this as "midge-proof" or "no-see-um mesh." If the net passes a mosquito without stopping it, it is too coarse for midges. Look for a drawstring closure at the neck and enough volume to hold the net away from your face — a net that rests on your skin is useless because midges can bite through the mesh.
Clothing: the physical barrier
Long sleeves and long trousers are the baseline. The detail that matters is the cuffs and collar — gaps at the wrist, ankle, and neck are where midges access the skin. Tuck trousers into socks. Tuck the shirt into trousers. Use a Buff or similar neck gaiter to seal the collar gap. Midges target the back of the neck and the hairline more than any other exposed area because these are the parts of the body that emit the most heat and CO2.
The fabric itself matters less than the coverage. Midges can bite through thin, tight-weave fabrics if the fabric is pressed against the skin. Loose-fitting clothing with a gap between fabric and skin is more effective than tight clothing of any material.
Timing camp setup around dusk
The camp setup window is the period when midge conditions can turn a manageable task into a miserable one. A practical schedule:
- Arrive and assess 3-5pm: Choose the pitch while the sun is still high and the breeze is established. The air at 3pm may still everything by 7pm — choose for the evening condition, not the current one.
- Pitch the tent 4-6pm: Have the tent up, the fly on, and the gear inside before the stilling period begins. Pitch fly-first in the evening so the inner tent is only briefly exposed.
- Cook and eat 5-7pm: Finish the meal before the heat of the stove is the only thing generating warmth in the camp.
- Evening 7pm onwards: Plan to be in the tent or on an exposed ridge. Do not plan camp chores, extended washing-up, or socialising around a still campfire at this time.
Tent entry technique
Your tent is not midge-proof. Every time you open the door, midges can enter. The technique is: unzip the door just enough to pass through, enter immediately, seal the zip completely before doing anything else — before removing boots, before sorting gear, before turning on a light. A door open for thirty seconds is a mass boarding call.
Check the mesh before dark. Midges can pass through damaged mesh or gaps around the door zip channel. Inspect the interior of the tent in good light and seal any openings before the dusk window starts.
What does not work
Citronella candles do not repel midges outdoors in any measurable way. The Cochrane Review evidence is clear: citronella provides short protection at close range and the candles produce no measurable effect at the distance of a campsite table.
Ultrasonic repellent devices have no evidence of efficacy against any biting insect, let alone midges. The marketing claims are not supported by published data.
Smoke coils and mosquito coils produce smoke that suppresses midge activity in the immediate vicinity but the effect is localised and the chemical exposure (allethrin) is a consideration in an enclosed space like a tent vestibule.
THE BAMPOT recommends: head net (essential), treat pitch selection as the primary defence, time camp setup and cooking before dusk, seal the tent immediately on entry. The combination of these four choices eliminates most of the midge problem without requiring a single drop of repellent.