Perthshire Midges in November — Risk, Peak Times, Kit
Effectively no midges. Plan freely. A buffer zone between worst (west) and best (south-east). Big Perthshire — Atholl, Rannoch, Tay forest — has plenty of midges but the open glens and farmland of Strathmore and the Ochils stay manageable.
Current risk
Perthshire in November: None. Effectively no midges. Plan freely.
When they bite
Out of season — no significant biting activity in Perthshire this month. Atlantic storm season fully arrived. East-side rain shadow keeps Perthshire drier than the west coast but rainfall still substantial. First snows on the Lawers and Atholl tops. Daylight under 9 hours by month-end. Adult midge population fully dormant.
What to wear
No specific kit needed for midges in Perthshire this month. Build the kit list around weather, daylight and route choice.
Tactical notes
November in Perthshire is fully out of midge season and the start of the proper winter calendar on the higher hills. The Lawers range and the Atholl tops typically see their first sustained snow by mid-month. The lower glens — Glen Lyon, Glen Tilt, Glen Lochay — enter heavy-rainfall mode but the east-side rain shadow keeps them noticeably drier than the equivalent west-coast glen.
The hills become serious propositions early. [Ben Lawers](/hillwalking/munros/ben-lawers) and the full Lawers range need winter judgement after the first proper snowfall. [An Stuc](/hillwalking/munros/an-stuc) — the steepest summit in the Lawers ridge — gets icy quickly and the scrambling link to [Meall Garbh](/hillwalking/munros/meall-garbh-fife-perthshire) becomes a serious crossing. [Beinn a' Ghlo](/hillwalking/munros/beinn-a-ghlo-carn-liath) and the Atholl three give a long horseshoe with substantial winter exposure on the connecting ridges. [Schiehallion](/hillwalking/munros/schiehallion) in November weather is one of the easier proper-winter Munros — short approach, good path, accessible navigation when the higher ridges are out.
The Carn Mairg round above [Glen Lyon](/glens/glen-lyon) and the long Bridge of Orchy ridge ([Beinn Dorain](/hillwalking/munros/beinn-dorain), [Beinn an Dothaidh](/hillwalking/munros/beinn-an-dothaidh)) give long November days reachable by train. [Ben Vrackie](/hillwalking/corbetts/ben-vrackie) above Pitlochry and [Ben Chonzie](/hillwalking/munros/ben-chonzie) from Crieff give shorter weather-window walks. The [Allt Scheicheachan](/bothies/allt-scheicheachan), [Camusericht](/bothies/camusericht) and [Alder Bay](/bothies/alder-bay) bothies are open and quiet — pack for cold and wet, no insects. Head net stays at home.