We were in Scotland at the very end of May, first day of June. We had two days of foggy, cool, glove-wearing days and then one gorgeous sunny day...the locals considered it “their one day of summer.” It is getting harder and harder to predict weather worldwide...climate change, oh wait “ it’s called weather, folks” as we have been told...but I digress with a bit of sarcasm, I hope....Our weather was unseasonably warm throughout the British Isles for the time of year we went...no midges...but I was attacked ( no other way to put it) at Stonehenge by beetles...we attributed it to the whitish sweater I wore...literally had beetles in my hair and stuck to my sweater...yucch! Hubby, right next to me, in a black shirt had nothing! Go figure! Bus driver, also in white, also got bombarded with beetles, which is where we made the connection.
I've lived in Scotland, so let me expand my thoughts. Daylight is very long in June, it won't go dark until 11pm or later in the very north. The early flowering bushes etc will be beginning to bloom. There will be no midges. While you can't predict weather, let's hope day length can't change. I was in Edinburgh this passed August for a few days, best weather on a visit to the UK we have had in many years.
We did England, Scotland, Wales in early July 2013. The weather was great, blue skies and absolutely no rain the whole time, but maybe a bit too warm- it was a rare hot summer in the UK and much of Europe which seems to be less and less rare these days. We did the Best of Ireland in early August 2016- weather was much cooler, but not bad. We had fog and mist at the Cliffs of Moher, light rain/drizzle during our falconry experience at Mt. Juliet and during a visit to the nearby Jerpoint Abbey ruins. Weather can be a crap shoot in the UK and Ireland. They say if you don't like the weather in Ireland, just wait 15 minutes.
Missed that statement on the first read-through- never heard of a midge so had to look it up. It gathers in clouds, sucks blood, and is small like a mosquito, but looks a little like and bites like a horsefly?!?! Oh, they sound like wonderful little buggers!
"The highland midge (scientific name: Culicoides impunctatus; Scots: Midgie; Scottish Gaelic: Meanbh-chuileag) is a species of small flying insect, found across the Palearctic (throughout the Anglo-Celtic Isles, Scandinavia, other regions of Europe, Russia and Northern China) in upland and lowland areas (fens, bogs and marshes). In the north west of Scotland and northern Wales the highland midge is usually very prevalent from late spring to late summer.[1] Female highland midges are well known for gathering in clouds and biting humans, though the majority of the blood they obtain comes from cattle, sheep and deer.[2] The bite of Culicoides is felt as a sharp prick. It is often followed by irritating lumps that may disappear in a few hours or last for days, depending on the individual. "
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Missed that statement on the first read-through- never heard of a midge so had to look it up. It gathers in clouds, sucks blood, and is small like a mosquito, but looks a little like and bites like a horsefly?!?! Oh, they sound like wonderful little buggers!
"The highland midge (scientific name: Culicoides impunctatus; Scots: Midgie; Scottish Gaelic: Meanbh-chuileag) is a species of small flying insect, found across the Palearctic (throughout the Anglo-Celtic Isles, Scandinavia, other regions of Europe, Russia and Northern China) in upland and lowland areas (fens, bogs and marshes). In the north west of Scotland and northern Wales the highland midge is usually very prevalent from late spring to late summer.[1] Female highland midges are well known for gathering in clouds and biting humans, though the majority of the blood they obtain comes from cattle, sheep and deer.[2] The bite of Culicoides is felt as a sharp prick. It is often followed by irritating lumps that may disappear in a few hours or last for days, depending on the individual. "