Two Small Creatures, One Big Day Out

Britain's hills are at their finest in late spring and summer, which is precisely when the biting insects are at theirs. Midges can turn a still evening in a Highland glen into a test of nerve, while ticks quietly hitch a lift and stay long after the walking is done. Neither should put you off the outdoors. Both are manageable with a little planning, and the habits that keep them off you are simple enough to fold into any day on the hill.

Know Your Midge

Only the female midge bites, and she does it to take a blood meal before laying eggs in damp, boggy ground. The season runs roughly from May to September, with July and August the worst of it. Midges are creatures of still, humid air: they struggle to fly in even a light breeze and they dislike bright, dry sunshine. That is why an exposed ridge, a breezy summit or a wind-scoured coastal headland can be almost entirely free of them, while the sheltered glen below is swarming. They are most active at dawn and dusk, though on a dull, muggy day they will happily bite through the afternoon.

Understanding that one fact — midges hate wind — changes how you plan a day. Where you stop for lunch matters as much as where you walk.

Keeping Midges at Bay

Repellent is your first line of defence. Look for a product containing DEET at around 20 to 50 per cent, or icaridin at around 20 per cent, which is gentler on skin and on plastics. Apply it to exposed skin and reapply every few hours, especially if you have been sweating. Do not apply DEET to broken skin, and if you are using it on a child, check the age guidance on the bottle.

Clothing does a great deal of quiet work:

• Wear long sleeves and long trousers, and tuck trousers into socks or gaiters where the ground is boggy.
• Choose light colours — midges are drawn to dark shapes and silhouettes.
• Carry a midge head net for the really bad evenings. It weighs almost nothing and it will save your sanity.
• Pitch tents away from damp hollows, tree-lined burns and sheltered corners, and keep the door closed.
• Smoke and citronella have some effect, but nothing close to a breeze or a head net.

If you can, plan your low-level stops for a windy bluff, an open riverbank, or the middle of a loch shore rather than a wooded picnic bench. And if the midges are winning, walk on. They rarely follow you far uphill.

Ticks: The Quiet Hitchhikers

Ticks are arachnids, not insects, and they are far more common than most hillwalkers realise. The sheep tick thrives in rough grassland, bracken, heather, woodland edges and anywhere deer, sheep or mice pass through — which is to say, most of upland Britain.

They do not jump or fly. They quest: climbing a blade of grass or a stem of bracken, front legs outstretched, waiting for something warm to brush past. Once aboard, they crawl upwards, seeking warm, moist, tucked-away skin — the groin, waistband, armpits, the back of the knees, the hairline and behind the ears. A tick bite is usually painless, and a feeding nymph can be no bigger than a poppy seed, which is exactly why the checking routine matters.

After the Walk: The Check That Matters

Check yourself as soon as you can after a walk, ideally within a few hours, and definitely before bed. Strip off in good light and work systematically from ankles to scalp. Use a mirror or a phone camera for the places you cannot see, and ask a companion to check your back, neck and hairline.

Do not forget your kit. Ticks can survive in a rucksack, a jacket or a tent for long enough to find you later, so give your pack and clothing a shake outside, and put walking clothes through a hot wash when you get home. Dogs pick up ticks readily, so check them too — around the ears, under the collar and along the belly — and speak to your vet if you are unsure.

Removing a Tick — and When to Seek Help

If you find an attached tick, remove it promptly and properly. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a purpose-made tick tool. Grasp the tick as close to your skin as you can and pull steadily upwards with a gentle, even pressure. Do not squeeze the body, burn it, or smother it in oil or Vaseline — those methods irritate the tick and increase the chance of infection being passed on. Once it is out, clean the bite with antiseptic and wash your hands.

Most bites are harmless, but ticks in the UK can carry Lyme disease, and in some areas tick-borne encephalitis has been detected. Be alert over the following weeks to a spreading circular or oval rash, flu-like symptoms, unusual tiredness, or tingling and numbness. A classic bullseye rash is a clear signal, but it does not always appear. If you develop any of these symptoms after a bite, or after time spent in tick habitat, speak to a GP and mention the bite and the walking you have done.

None of this needs to overshadow a good day out. A squirt of repellent, trousers tucked into socks, and ten minutes with a mirror at the end of the walk will see you right. Then get back out there.