Munro-bagging teddy bear rescued from Glencoe peak

Mini Tyson was found slightly wet and bedraggled by a fellow hiker

A Munro-bagging teddy has been rescued from a peak near Glencoe after his owner accidentally left him at the top.

Alastair Tyson, from Castle Douglas, takes his mascot Mini Tyson everywhere with him - even his honeymoon.

The pair have climbed 50 Munros together and he photographs the toy on every summit.

He had hoped to snap the bear on all 282 in Scotland, but last week he accidentally left him on Buachaille Etive Beag.

Luckily, a stranger responded to his call for help on social media saying he had found the teddy safe and sound.

• The latest headlines from Scotland

Mr Tyson first won Mini Tyson at a primary school fete when he was a maths teacher in Essex, and he later became the class mascot.

Since he is himself very camera-shy, he decided to use the toy as his stand-in for holiday pictures.

The 33-year-old also collects and fixes badges to the bear as mementos.

"He's been with me for 10 years at least," Mr Tyson told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme. "He's been with me for longer than my wife has."

Now living in Durham, he takes the bear on hikes whenever he visits family in Scotland - including his most recent climb up the peak near Glencoe on Sunday 9 July.

The pair have reached the top of 50 peaks together

"I got to the car and opened the back and thought 'oh no I've left the bear'," he said.

"If you've ever been to this mountain, the car park is directly under the summit so I looked right up and I knew he's right there.

"But I had a train to catch so I had to go and I just thought he was gone.

"And the weather was going to be stormy so I thought he'd just get blown off the mountain and I had to make my peace with it."

Mr Tyson said he was "gutted" that he had lost the bear after 10 years.

• Dad completes 1,000 days of toy car photos

"Obviously my wife thought I was being ridiculous because it's just a teddy bear," he said.

"I never gave up hope though, and there's a couple of Facebook groups where people post pictures of their hikes.

"And I saw people post pictures from Friday and Saturday and I spotted him sitting there in the background.

"I was shocked that he was still there, since the weather last week was awful.

"I chanced my arm and put a post out asking if someone could fetch him and I was blown away by the response."

The post received an outpouring of support, with people sharing and tagging friends who might have been able to help find the bear.

Mini Tyson appears to be none the worse for his ordeal after his rescue

The next day a man who lived near Glencoe messaged Mr Tyson saying he had found Mini Tyson up the mountain.

"He said he was a bit wet but he was safe at home and recuperating in his front room," he said,

"I offered him money to say thank you but he said no and asked that it be donated to his local playgroup.

"Which I think is just wonderful - obviously it's a child's toy and I'm quite happy to donate that money to a children's playgroup so they can get some new toys too."

He hopes Mini Tyson will be back home in the next week and ready for another hike soon.

"I'm over the moon to be reunited with him," added Mr Tyson. "And I'm sure my wife will tease me even more."

In order to be classified as Munros, mountains must be over 3,000ft (914m).