Snakes: have you ever seen one in the wild, in the UK or anywhere else ?

[WildRosie]

I haven't so my contributions here will be limited. However, I find snakes fascinating creatures, even though they give me the creeps and I sometimes have nasty snake dreams. I'd love to see a grass snake catching some rays after laying her eggs in the spring, or an adder mellowing out among the heather. But I haven't yet. We don't get smooth snakes in Yorkshire so zero chance there. Please share your legless reptile stories. Slow worms don't count.

Have seen grass snakes but also a diamondback rattlesnake. That was in either Texas or Arizona, can't remember which. Slithered across our path as we went to go to a campsite loo one night. We let it pass!

Seen a very large grass snake swimming across one of the water ways at Croome Park.

An adder in the Lake District, sunning itself on the track. Really made me jump when it slithered away.

Grass snakes and adders

Yes, rattlesnakes and black racers. It was a bit disconcerting as where I'm from there are no snakes in the wild.

When I was a kid I saw 2 grass snakes at Bradgate Park in Leicester. I have a phobia of snakes so it wasn't my happiest day

Our next door neighb our had a large grass snake in his compost heap the other year. It is the one and only time I have ever seen one.

I see snakes regularly in our garden. They are lovely.

Once we had to cut one out of some chicken wire it had got tangled in.

We also saw one climb all the way up a tree and then cross over to another tree along the branches. That was cool.

Yes at Barret Paintballing centre.

It scared the bejesus out of me, and I refused to lie in the grass for the rest of the day and used my brother as a human shield (we were there for his birthday).

An adder once in Surrey when I was riding, took me and my pony by surprise!!. My dad saw a grass snake in our garden (West Sussex).

I grew up in Australia, so we saw snakes in the bush not uncommonly. Once when I was about 9, we had a rare trip to the UK to see relatives, and the travel agent found us a deal with a stop over in Los Angeles to visit Disneyland and a couple of other places. The weekend before we left we'd been for a walk in the mountains just west of Sydney. One of the places we visited in LA had a reptile show. The guy taking it brought out a brown snake saying something like "now you'll never have seen one of these before" - and nearly fell over in shock when I and my younger sister piped up "oh we saw one on the path the other day".

The good thing about Australian snakes is that, although many are extremely poisonous, none of them are aggressive to human size creatures, they just want to be left alone and keep out of your way. So as long as you respect them, leave them alone, you can usually wait for them to move away if you come across them and no problems. You do have to keep alert, and think before walking through long grass and suchlike.

If you've got a compost bin/compost pile then you've almost certainly got/had snakes in your garden at some point as they love them.

I’d not read to the end... we do get them in Yorkshire, that’s where I saw mine (near Doncaster) it was a grass snake apparently. I didn’t stick around to introduce myself!

DH nearly stood on an adder in the summer. Scared the hell out of me and the poor snake.

We live at the end of a rural lane, and once saw a snake slither across it in front of me. It was dark and quite long, but sender. I was fascinated, but it shot off into the undergrowth before I could get a good look at it. Never seen before or since in six years living here.

Rescued one from a swimming pool in Spain once, after checking it wasn’t venomous
Saw one in Florida but the hotel staff evacuated us from the area so I assume it was dangerous

Living on the edge of heathland we've seen adders loads of times - DH is very adept at spotting them.
I suppose it is reassuring (means we are unlikely to tread on one by accident), but it sometimes feels like the countryside is writhing with them, which I don't think is actually the case.

I saw an adder that had been run over by a car on Leith Hill in Surrey about 7 years ago.

A passing horse rider pointed it out to me and asked if I would dispatch it, poor thing had its guts hanging out...but I couldn't do it, so I just flicked it into the grass verge with a stick. that's the only time I saw a snake wild in the UK.
I saw a slow worm in the same area another time. It was stuck in a water filled ditch so my friend rescued it.

We live near a large forested area (UK) and I do sometimes see what are either snakes or slow worms. They’re usually moving away from me so I don’t have time to photograph or google them, so no idea what each one is.

A nice couple pointed out a grass snake basking in the sun to the DC as we came out of lockdown this year and I nearly trod on a largish snake or slow worm in some long grass over the summer. It was the closest encounter I’ve had. Usually if I see one it’s just a glimpse of something moving to the side of the path.

I like snakes and wear thick neoprene muck boots so they don’t bother me at all.

I’m in Australia, we see snakes almost every day!

Also seen them in Yorkshire, out by the east coast in the wetlands and nature reserves!

Regular adders in my new forest garden.

Also had grass snakes and smooth snake!

Loads, but I have spent a lot of time in SE Asia.

So cobras, kraits vipers, loads more.

I've seen a number of adders on the moors in Northumberland and Yorkshire. One summer, we saw one (I assume not the same one) every time we visited Ravenscar.
Abroad, I've seen them in Australia (gave those a really wide berth) and in Tuey, where one slithered straight over my bare legs while sunbathing. My heart nearly stopped.

Lots of snakes in Yorkshire OP

I ran over two snakes mating in the road in my village once in summer - noticed them at the last minute then stopped to have a look (as thought I must be wrong!)

Also found a dead snake in the woods while out walking with the kids. Shame it was dead but the kids loved getting a close up look at it.

Another snake was in a little stream running through my brothers allotment think it lived there as there were lots of frogs.

Also seen wild boar in Yorkshire too.