Perthshire Midges in March — 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 March: None. Effectively no midges. Plan freely.
When they bite
Out of season — no significant biting activity in Perthshire this month. Daylight extending past 12 hours by month-end. Snow lie retreating off the lower hills but persisting on the Lawers range and Atholl tops. Ground temperatures still below the midge emergence threshold.
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
March in Perthshire is shoulder winter. The Lawers and Atholl high ground stays firmly in winter conditions through the month; the lower hills around Crieff and Pitlochry transition to spring conditions; the long enclosed glens — [Glen Lyon](/glens/glen-lyon) and [Glen Tilt](/glens/glen-tilt) — start to feel the first hints of warming on their valley floors. The midge population remains entirely dormant; this is the last reliably clean shoulder month before the May transition.
This is the right window for the long enclosed-glen walks that become atmospheric (and lightly midgey) in summer. [Glen Tilt](/glens/glen-tilt) from Blair Atholl north to the Tarf — one of the longest walking corridors in the Highlands — is at its best in March: dry firm ground, manageable weather windows, no insect tax. The [Allt Scheicheachan bothy](/bothies/allt-scheicheachan) at the foot of the Beinn a' Ghlo round and the [Camusericht](/bothies/camusericht) and [Alder Bay](/bothies/alder-bay) bothies on the Loch Rannoch / Loch Ericht side give multi-day base options.
For hill days, [Schiehallion](/hillwalking/munros/schiehallion) is the canonical March Munro — well-graded path, short approach, the summit view extending across Rannoch Moor to Glencoe on a clear day. The [Beinn a' Ghlo](/hillwalking/munros/beinn-a-ghlo-carn-nan-gabhar) round from Blair Atholl gives a long three-Munro day. The Bridge of Orchy ridge — [Beinn Dorain](/hillwalking/munros/beinn-dorain) and [Beinn an Dothaidh](/hillwalking/munros/beinn-an-dothaidh) — is reachable by train. [Ben Vrackie](/hillwalking/corbetts/ben-vrackie) above Pitlochry is the popular shorter Corbett day; the Trossachs-edge [Ben Chonzie](/hillwalking/munros/ben-chonzie) from Crieff gives a gentle Munro option. The [Cateran Trail](/long-distance/cateran-trail) (103km Blairgowrie loop) and [Rob Roy Way](/long-distance/rob-roy-way) (Drymen-Pitlochry) are both at their best on midge grounds. Head net unnecessary; pack waterproofs and weather-window discipline.