One for our Scottish contingency here. How are the midges now over the border please? Are they still quite bad at the moment or easing off now.

Ta

Its been that windy recently there have been none to be seen....
However based on this https://www.smidgeup.com/midge-forecast/
The west still has plenty of the little beggars, if the wind does ever drop

Super coz I wanna go East!

Can anyone suggest a place to park the van for three nights in Braemar or near by please

Plenty of places to park a van in Braemar - there is a car park with a loo on the left as you go into the town (ie turn left just after the chippy, past the butchers) Left my jalopy there on overnighters before. There is plenty on street parking as well.
What yer planning?

super ta. Erm thinking of riding the deeside trail as the weather rooks good next week planning on driving up Thurs

There's snow on the mountains now. That's usually a sign that it's too cold for the midge, but we've had some great Octobers recently and they've been known to put in a 3rd hatch.

I should also point out tha many of use manage to go bivvying all through the midge season. An eye on the weather, knowledge of where to camp, a midge net and some Smidge will get you through regardless.

And... many of the rivers are really high at the moment. Like really, really high. Keep an eye on water levels via SEPA.

http://apps.sepa.org.uk/waterlevels/

We leave our van in the carpark by the toilets in braemar often. Never any issues.

Doesn't the deeside trail start in banchory though ?

Beware the rivers ...they ain't too high( we followed the Dee up to ballater yet looks like normal levels have been resumed on the Dee after a very low summer but it won't take much to bring em up..

Cheers for the above. As for the start I'm just going to start it at Braemar as can't be arsed to drive past to then rude back

The only significant river crossing on the DT sans bridge is just before Derry lodge coming out of Corrour bothy - should be OK though as plenty big boulders to hop off!

The Luibeg ford isn't normally much bother and there's the bridge upstream anyway. There are two crossings that can be wetter - first is the Quoich after Clais Fhearnaig which is usually ankle deep, and second the Gairn by the new lodge north of Culardoch which is more like knee deep if you put your foot in the wrong place.

Stayed (at a campsite, sorry ) in Chilterns over the weekend. Place called StokenChurch or summat. The wind was easy (on Saturday night) and not a midge to be seen for miles.

Couple of weeks ago in the Peaks around the Cutgate route. I think I felt some itching from what I imagine was midges from when we had stopped. But didnt really notice them too much so maybe the itching was just in my head and what I think i should have expected!

Hiya Mike

(have you been sacked ? )

I went up a year ago,and did quite a bit of it, but I started from Blair Atholl (quite a bit less driving) and up Glen Tilt...

https://ericrobo.wordpress.com/2017/09/ ... mber-2017/

Eric

nice on eric! id not thought about blair atholl for parking ( coul dmake for a nce ride in )and the pizza there is ace

And lovely riding up Glen Tilt for at least 12 miles, then the tricky ST of Alt Garbh Buidhe (care needed !).... some good riding up there