At first, we thought it was just a curvy piece of wood on the path, but once we got closer we could see it was a slow worm.
This was our first sighting this year. With the recent damp weather, these reptiles are coming out to bathe and soak up the sun.
Slow worms and sand lizards have never been a problem for me, and I once picked a slow worm up off the floor in a biology class before someone kicked it, and got told off by the teacher.
Unfortunately, slow worms aren’t the only snakes to bask in the sunshine, though I believe they are actually legless lizards rather than snakes.
Although we haven’t seen any ourselves yet, there have been more frequent sightings of adders this year, and that is bad news for all dog owners.
Sadly a woman’s dog was bitten last year but she failed to get it to the vet in time and it died. We therefore warn new faces on our walks of the potential danger and pass on any information we have just in case.
Hubby doesn’t like snakes of any description, and I confess I’d never seen one of the UK’s poisonous ones close up until we moved here. The damn thing had me in its sights and was preparing to strike! I was surprised though at how velvety their skins looked, and the boldness of their markings. However, there’s no way I’d try and pick one up!
Grass snakes, though very similar, aren’t poisonous and don’t have that black diamond marking on the back.
Still, my philosophy is
IF IN DOUBT, DON’T
(pick it up that is) .
pensitivity101 
I am glad there are no poision snakes in my area.
Adders (or vipers) are the UK’s only poisonous snake. We live in close proximity to farmland, so snakes are unlikely, though a friend of ours had a pregnant female visit her garden several years ago but it didn’t stay.
We are always anxious in case Maggie gets bitten in the woods, but are also concerned about the number of puppies that enjoy sniffing about in the undergrowth.