Lyme disease is a particularly nasty affliction. Apparently it can lie dormant in your body and erupt up to 20 years after you received the infection from the tick. Do a search on the web and you will find numerous examples documented.
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
Sheep / deer ticks arenât really that harmful per se but they can carry Lyme Disease, which you should avoid. These tools are the business:
A tool that size would be too large to use on the ticks that we got on Mull. The largest was only just a little over a millimetre. Nothing like the one that I brushed off my clothing on the ascent of GM/ES-074 a couple of years ago or the one that got my daughter in Northumberland several years back.
I have a fine pair of the special tick tweezers which removes the small ones cleanly, assuming you are a contortionist. Having assistance is always a good idea. The one that I got this year was my first⌠well it had to happen some time! Iâm sure someone planted it on me. 
The pack comes with two sizes of tool, but I take your point about the really tiny ones. You donât want to leave them in until they are big enough to remove! I have some very good CK fine-pointed tweezers for the really tiny ones. For what itâs worth, it seems to me that some folks are a magnet for ticks and other are shunned by ticks. Iâve often wondered if itâs to do with skin chemistry. Have you tried Avon Skin So Soft for midges? I wonder if it would work with ticks. ps Congrats for your magnificent achievement!
Gerald one, me eight. Supports the theory :-s
Yes, I use Skin So Soft for midges and it does work. I was caught on the hop last week as we didnât see many midges - there were only a few around the car as we loaded up one morning and four of them found me as I hadnât applied anything at that point in the day. Of course lathering yourself doesnât stop them landing on you, it just deters them from biting. Iâve seen midges doing backstroke on the back of my hands as I have applied more of the product, with other kami-kazi ones diving in to join the party. 
As for whether it deters ticks, I wouldnât know.
Thanks for the congrats John - I guess it is 600 here I come⌠I might just make it before I get to 70.
Hmm, I still say mine was planted⌠
Man, those JA summits are crawling with bugs, I left a pound of flesh to them on the last activation. Unless you go above 2000m JA summits feel like the Amazonian jungle (including the heat and humidity). I got a face net and will be looking for thin gloves and a neck protector next time around. Not quite the Hazmat look but I will be more prepared next time around.
Avon Oh So Soft seems to be working quite well for our Southern Scotland tour (near Biggar now with only 2 more days) but can be difficult to find. I recommend Brodick , Isle of Arran Post Office where they sell the stuff from cardboard boxes it moves so fast (NB ferry much cheaper as REP (Road Equivalent Pricing came in 2 years ago so car and 2 people about ÂŁ50 return) BUT do not leave it in your car overnight on a slightly parky night as the next morning it would not spray and closer investigation showed the stuff was now solid. Vigorous shaking (and swearing) produced a little liquid but no spray. By the time we returned from Capel Fell and Croft Head (out of the cloud at last) the stuff was spraying normally. Now I keep it indoors. It is also unwise for you to keep your chewing gum on the bedpost overnightâŚ
73 Viki M6BWA
Itâs working well because there arenât midges down here at the moment!
Vicki doenât need them in the plural 
73,
Rod
Indeed. Where are they? Too warm for them? Been gorgeous here for a while now, just one day with a bit of rain because the cows were getting dusty. 
Viki, with your impeccable radio procedure I just cannot imagine you swearing! Youâve shattered my illusion 
Thanks for the contacts on Sunday
To return to the original topic, there is a useful information leaflet about Scottish ticks here:
http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/giz/general/tick-factsheet-2009-04.pdf
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
This year I have been using Sawyer Permethrin on my Boots, Backpack and clothing, along with Deep Woods OFF on Skin, this combination has worked very well.
I keep the Deep Woods âOFFâ in my backpack and reapply it when I stop to operate.
When I get home and shower⌠I really check well ⌠âwhere the sun donât shineâ 
I prefer 3M Ultrathon for DEET. That is encapsulated, so it doesnât soak into your skin and it lasts longer. The US military uses it.
wunder
Another summer is here again, and I feel it is probably wise to bring this topic up once again.
A few weeks ago, I did an activation of DM/HE-044 and DM/HE-045 and bought my Father (G3OZZ) along for the walk. Upon reaching home, and checking we found that we had both picked up ticks.
I had a health checkup the following week, so I mentioned it to my Doctor and he said that this year is an unusually bad one for ticks in DL - Fortunately, we have both had blood tests and are both free of Borreliose. He also recommended that I get immunised again tick-borne encephalitis. The Taunus is classified as a lower risk area than further south, but there have been cases.
Obviously, there is no need to get hysterical - but the risk can be underestimated. Not all GPs are aware of the risks, so if you do get symptoms make sure to mention that you have been bitten by a tick!
In future, I plan to take a folding chair with me on activations to further reduce the risk - In my experience, tick repellents (including DEET) are next to useless.
Ticks are a well-known problem here in Norway as well. The ticks in the local area have just started testing positive for TBE (Tick-borne encephalitis), so I actually decided to get myself a vaccine for this. There are of course also other diseases they carry, but this is by far the worst in our area, and is actually lethal in some cases.
Tick repellents have some effect, but the most important is to wear clothes, and to do a thorough check after coming home again.