Only Cain....

......could live in the middle of London and nearly get bitten by an adder.....

We were walking through Hounslow Heath. It's one of the few places I can walk in peace as it's not very popular. I had been warned a few weeks back by a family friend that there were adders up there but I thought if we stuck to the paths and out of the long grass we'd be fine.

Well we were on the path and Cain was sniffing the grassy edge and suddenly he stopped and stared. I didn't think much of it as if he sees a rabbit or grasshopper or anything he'll stop and stare. Then I heard a hiss and saw something brown in a grass flick. I shouted at him to Leave It and pulled him out. He shook his head a few times as if something irritating him but I checked him over and I don't think he got bitten, he seems absolutely fine thankfully.

I'm so annoyed though It's literally the only place we could go and walk without seeing a thousand people and now it's ruined and I daren't take him there any more

And I walk in all these long grasses and fields and forests and we don't even come across grass snakes - how scary!

Such a shame one of your favourite walks is ruined now Maybe you'll find somewhere else?

I can't imagine seeing a snake in London
I live opposite a farm where they grow corn & have heard of them being over there. Last year I was bitten, but I didn't see the snake. I was very concerned because I had what looked like snake bite mark on my leg & I kept getting pins & needles up & down my leg so hub took me to hospital. They said it wasn't a snake & I think we concluded it was a horse fly!!

Wow that's a bit scary and a bit of a shame it's ruined walking there for you.. Are adders dangerous I take it? (Dont know much do I?!)

My dog found a grass snake in Richmond park in the leaves a couple of months ago.. scared the life out of me, I had no idea they could be found around here.

Oh my goodness, adders are poisonous yeah.

We don't get too many adders up here, my cousin stood on a grass snake when she was young though. Never seen one myself of either kind.

One of our dinkier kids almost stood on an adders' tail when we were out in the field a couple of weeks ago, said he just saw this thing whipping away from him.

How do you know it was not a slow worm or a grass snake?

I don't, and didn't hang around long enough to as it what species it was but having just been warned only a few weeks ago that there are adders up there, its likely that it was one and too close for comfort. The council website says the adders are brown with zig zags and the grass snakes are greenish, and this was definitely brown with zig zags. My dog trainer's dog got bitten by an adder down at the Isle of Wight and it was touch and go for 48 hours So it's possible it was a harmless species but seeing as it's a known area for adders, now I've actually seem a snake, it's scared me enough to not want to go back

how scary ild of pooped my pants and ran all the way home.

What a shame its spoiled a peacfull walking place for you, i know how hard they are to come by.

You could prob go back there in winter i think, do snakes like the cold ??

If you go early you should be OK. We have them here on the dunes.

rune

Thanks, I'll try that, also hopefully they'll go and hibernate in winter. Today it was about 4pm and really hot and sunny, guess I'd caught it out for a sun bathe.