June 29 - Day 84 - Tyre Consequences

I couldn’t avoid it - and it was already dead - honest! As soon as cycled over the somewhat flattened prickly friend, however, I immediately started to worry about my tyres. I know this is a bit selfish because I was certainly in a better position than the hedgehog but I have been very unlucky with punctures in the past. Luckily (for me, not it), my tyres seemed fine and I was able to get home (dampened with the rain but not my spirits) - the wheel good factor I suppose.

Today, I thought I would check on the internet to see whether driving over a hedgehog can damage your tyres. I know there are better things to do.. but I couldn’t have left you in suspense wondering. Amazingly, like any issue it seems, several forums cover this matter - although there does not seem to be a definite conclusion with evidence presented on both sides.

While searching, I came across the Mammal Society’s ‘Saving British Wildlife’ page, which had it been April 1 and not June 29, I would have read very differently. You couldn’t make it up if you tried though.

The first instruction is to ‘zoom in on our hedgehog roadkill map’ so that you can find out whether there are high risk roads nearby. You may not be surprised to find out that when I looked at my route to and from work, there are indeed several hedgehog road death hot spots. Now I can safely say, before you ask, that I have not added or caused any of these (as far as I know) so there is no need to spoke fun at me.

Although I will obviously now try and stay aware of any hedgehogs venturing out into the danger zones, I do feel I have enough to contend with already with the weather, cars and escaping sheep - as you know full wheel!