Walk on the wild side

We live fairly close to a number of reservoirs that have been made by flooding valleys and there are some great walks around them. WERE some great walks. A couple of months ago it was announced on the local news that a six feet boa constrictor had been seen where we walk. We do have snakes in the UK, but they're not big and I've never seen one. The boa is supposed to be an escaped pet but it seems more likely someone could no longer cope with it and dumped it.
 There are signs up warning people to keep their dogs on a lead. My nerves were already jangling before we set off on the 4 mile walk last week.
Husband-who-thinks-he's-so-clever kept making noises that made me jump. Comments like - ohh look at that, had me leaping in the air. His - Oh my God - actually made me shriek. Turned out to be a rather long slug on the path in front of us. Oh how he laughed. We didn't see the snake- but you know, if we had, I might just have kept quiet and let it eat him.