An Edinburgh hiker has shared a skin-crawling clip after he was set upon by a giant swarm of midges while camping in Scotland.
Dr Alan Mackie, who teaches at the University of Edinburgh's school of education, is an experienced hiker but has never experienced anything like it.
After spending the night on Gleann an t-Slugain, in Aberdeenshire, he woke on Friday morning to a tent besieged by thousands of the blood-sucking mites.
In a clip taken while hiding safely, he says "a lot of midges waiting for us this morning" while the insects swarm all over the outside of his shelter.
Sharing the video to Twitter, he said: "Midges. Camping. Scotland."
The clip has already racked up over 4,000 like with many sharing their own midge horror stories.
"Camped Glendevon a couple of weeks ago and it's the worst I've ever seen the midges, absolutely brutal", said one.
Another added: "I've always wanted to go camping across Scotland. People always scoff a bit and mention the midges. Now I understand."
Dr Mackie who also shared a photo showing his leg covered in painful, red lumps said they had bikes and were forced to "cycle 5k to the local and take cover".
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He 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, with previous estimating that the biting bugs cost the Scottish tourism industry around a whopping £268 million per year in lost visits.
