I found my first (known) tick today after a ride, latched on to the back of my upper arm. It was a very small, spider like affair, not the big bloated sack of blood I remember removing from my cat years ago, but when I pulled it off the were clearly two pinprick marks with a small amount of blood on my arm; I guess it had only just latched on.

It seemed to come away cleanly and the bite site is now indistinguishable from anywhere else on my arm, no reddening, hardening, swelling etc. Now I know that there is a rare possibility of Lyme's disease so what's the procedure? Do I just bear in mind that I've been bitten in case of symptoms further down the line or do I need a precautionary does of anti-biotics? I didn't find a great deal on the NHS Direct website.

You got it quick which is the main thing.

Make sure nothing is left in the wound, usually the head can detach and get stuck in you if not removed correctly.

You can prob find out on google about problem areas for lymes in the uk. If you're in one of these areas I think the advice is to hold onto the tick just incase.

I'm sure you'll be fine, I've had a few over the years and no disease yet 😉

Have a search in the news section – there is a good article.

You need to look out for either a fever or a bulls eye type rash IIRC. Then you go to the docs for antibiotics