I’ve had ticks on about a dozen occasions (including one three days ago on Salisbury Plain). Legs have been the main location on me (from when I’ve been out running) but I’ve also had them on my back, my arms and my backside. Fortunately, I’ve had friends who have been able to stop laughing long enough to help get them out.
Wet weather is a deterrent to them (I’ve been told that they struggle to climb wet grass but who knows) and hot weather is definitely favourable to them. If I see deer or sheep, I assume that there are ticks in the area.
I always carry two tick removers (one large, one small) in my first aid kit (the little hook ones as the credit card style ones aren’t very good). Long trousers are definitely the way ahead and be aware that long grass and bracken seem (in my experience) to be where they get on to people. They do like the darker, warmer areas of the body (armpits, groin etc) and can crawl around on you for a while.
This isn’t meant to sound like its a tickfest in the mountains and we need to be running around with anti-tick spray on our utility belts. Those dozen ticks have jumped on me during a career which puts me in outdoor (and occasionally tick-heavy) areas on a routine basis in addition to any time I spend outdoors (ideally in the mountains)…all this has taken place over the last thirty-five odd years…a tick approximately every three years seem pretty tolerable!
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