I n an idle moment, (one of many), I decided to convert an underused corner of the garden into 5 star hurcheon accommodation. All the necessary building materials were in situ , so all that was required was a little rearrangement. The image shows the floor plan before roofing over. The internal dimensions are roughly 18” x 9” The entrances (one at lower left, one at upper right) are about 4” wide. Further blocks were added flat along the right hand side and at the front to deter digging by predators. Tenants proving elusive, after a couple of days I put up a sign, scattered a bit of straw about, and distributed hedgehog faeces in the area. The ‘hotel’ is sheltered from wind and rain and gets any sun in late afternoon and early evening. It was built on the south side of the wall.

W hile waiting for the first guest to arrive I retired to the patio with a pint and ‘The New Hedgehog Book’ by Pat Morris from which I gathered a] that hedgehogs construct hibernacula in undergrowth from assemblages of dried leaves and twigs and b] quite often move house during the winter. Presumably this both helps shed parasites and enables escape from foetid quarters. Having concluded from the book that hurcheons were unlikely to be impressed by my construction, time has proved that to be entirely correct. Not a single star of approval has been bestowed by any hurcheon. It entertains the grandchildren if not Erinaceus europaeus . So far as I am aware the ‘accommodation’ remains unused [Nov 2025] but hedgehogs still regularly come for food, albeit in far fewer numbers than in previous years.