Hi there, and sympathies
If there is a midge anywhere in Scotland, it seeks me out. I've been bitten in March (and in October) so I am wary of all midge generalisations
That said, although June/July is midge season, the environs, wind level and time of day are more important than the month: in still weather, around sunrise or sunset, near water and vegetation (which campsites in Scotland tend to be) midges can be infuriating and will drive me indoors. But if you go wild camping on higher ground, and there is a breeze, you might have no problems. If it's raining hard, the midges probably won't bother you, but the rain might
Repellents and protection: Avon "Skin so soft" works, despite its soppy name, as the Royal Marines have proved! So does bog myrtle, which grows wild and is worth learning to recognise. A hat with midge netting that tucks in around your neck excludes them from face and ears, which is a big help.
I hadn't heard of permethrin before, so I went looking on the web and was fairly horrified by what I found: according to
this source it's
a neurotoxin. Symptoms include tremors, incoordination, elevated body temperature, increased aggressive behavior, and disruption of learning. Laboratory tests suggest that permethrin is more acutely toxic to children than to adults ... in insects and mammals it causes repetitive nerve impulses.
More worrying still, from the same source, which I appreciate derives from the
Journal for Pesticide Reform and may have an agenda, but it does
seem well-supported by clinical research:
Permethrin affects both male and female reproductive systems. It binds to receptors for androgen, a male sex hormone, in skin cells from human males, causing researchers to “advise protection from any form of contact or ingestion of the pyrethroids.” Permethrin also binds to a different receptor, called the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, that stimulates production of the male sex hormone testosterone. In addition, permethrin caused reduced testes weights in a long-term feeding study of mice. In females, permethrin exposure has caused embryo loss in pregnant rabbits24 and in pregnant rats.
Wouldn't it be safer to cover up and use bog myrtle??
Final thought: most people would look at six days as being the sensible minimum for West Highland Way – partly because it's 153 km but also because of where accommodation is easily found. It's possible in four but only if you are partly jogging, and enjoyable over seven or even eight days. But Scotland has many shorter walks, and several, such as the Speyside Way, Rob Roy Way and Cateran Trai, in less midge-ridden areas than the Western Highlands: worth considering?
