A VETERAN hiker has shared skin-crawling footage showing the “worst swarm of midges he has seen in 20 years”.
Dr Alan Mackie, from Edinburgh, was camping at Gleann an t-Slugain, Aberdeenshire, when he was set upon by the mass of midges.
The footage, taken on Friday morning [14 Aug] show’s Alan’s tent besieged by thousands of the blood-sucking mites.
As he films from the safety of the tent, the insects are seen swarming all over the outside of his shelter.
The camera pans around to reveal how Dr Mackie is surrounded on all sides by the pesky parasites.
Another video taken the previous evening shows dense patches of the bugs trapped between two layers of the tent.
The “ferocious” midges also managed to sink their teeth into Dr Mackie, who accidentally left a gap in his trousers.
He shared a photo showing his leg covered in painful, red lumps which he says have joined together to become “one huge bite”.
Dr Mackie, who teaches at the University of Edinburgh’s school of education, took to social media to share the itch-inducing footage.
He posted the clip on Saturday [15 Aug] with the caption: “Midges. Camping. Scotland.”
His video has since been liked more than 4,000 times with many sharing their own midge horror stories.
One user named Kevin shared a snap of his own mottled hands and said: “Camped Glendevon a couple of weeks ago and it’s the worst I’ve ever seen the midges, absolutely brutal.”
@Look_its_Rhonda added: “I’ve always wanted to go camping across Scotland. People always scoff a bit and mention the midges. Now I understand.”
And Steve Smith said: “Jeez! I’m really looking forward to my trip to Scotland now.”
Speaking today, Dr Mackie said: “They were the worst I’ve experienced in 20 years. Ferocious.
“I’ve been left with itchy legs. I was all kitted out.
“Unfortunately my trousers had patches of mesh on the calves which I hadn’t noticed. Thought I was golden until the next day.
“I’m an experienced camper and hiker and have a long experience of the midge. Just the damned trouser oversight. That’ll teach me.”
Midge season in Scotland typically lasts from the end of May to September.
It has previously been estimated that the biting bugs cost the Scottish tourism industry around £268 million per year in lost visits.
