Just a few minutes later whilst studying the first we noticed a second hedgehog also nearby the gate. This was becoming bizarre. But because they kept trying to move through the gate to the drive, Mary once again picked them up (and yes they are very prickly) and huffing and snorting (the hedgehogs not Mary) she took them much deeper in to the garden and fed them a little cat food we keep.
And so I set up my trail camera on the patio/gate area to see if they would return and try and escape that way. And sure enough we caught some lovely videos, one below, with the long spindly legs of a hedgehog-in-motion very nicely shown.
Next morning we did check with our lovely neighbour, June, who works at Prickles Hedgehog Rescue (the charity we support from each cottage booking). She had mentioned just the day before that she had homed two or three new hedgehogs because Prickles was desperate to move some recovered hedgehogs out. Were these our visitors? It seems not because hers were still in their boxes.
And finally the video also caught another regular visitor - well another pair. Two of the young badgers. We'd wondered where they come from to go through our garden - and clearly it is the lane. One of them has a little trouble gate vaulting, but they are surprisingly nimble.
Do enjoy these two videos.