Warning to Mrs H

[Red Adder]

Did anyone see BBC's Breakfast prog. from the beautiful Malvern Hills this morning. They were warning people not to try and pick up snakes as they might just be adders and bite you. Evidently 200 people have been bitten in the past 5 year, half because they tried to pick them up. Dooooh.

I expect most mappers in the SE at least will have encountered several (I know I have) and can vouch that adders are generally very distinctive, they also seem to know they are "armed" and move away in their own good time good - grass snakes etc skidaddle somewhat quicker. My friend reckoned that the quickest I ever moved in an O context was after coming face to face with an adder basking on top of a rootstock bank - that possible control never got used !!

[Mrs H]

I was spooked by an adder at BRC. Ran off a d turned my ankle I'm safely in Devon at the moment !

[madmike]

lots of adders in devon - they are just harder to see

[Domhnull Mor]

When the O-Ringen was last in Gothenburg, I had to set out a number of controls in the morning and then keep an eye on them throughout the day on the open rock areas in Torslanda. There were snakes everywhere. I think I'd seen a couple of adders before that day but at one point we saw about 15 in a shallow pit. Can't remember hearing about anyone getting bitten but I would have thought a few people got a quick glimpse of a disappearing reptile.

[madmike]

When the O-Ringen was last in Gothenburg, I had to set out a number of controls in the morning and then keep an eye on them throughout the day on the open rock areas in Torslanda. There were snakes everywhere. I think I'd seen a couple of adders before that day but at one point we saw about 15 in a shallow pit. Can't remember hearing about anyone getting bitten but I would have thought a few people got a quick glimpse of a disappearing reptile.

didn't see a snake but what a great area around the start

[PhilJ]

and earthquakes in Ludlow

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-18293332

hurry home, you are missing all the fun.

[Drumlough]

Risk assessment mitigation: orienteer in Ireland.

[Taybank]

Which reminds me of an Australian club website quip ....
What turns an orienteer into a karate expert?
Answer - Running into a spider's web.