All winter Frodo the dog has been waiting for his playmate Yoda the tortoise to wake up.

Hibernating in his tortoise house at Olive Love's donkey farm in Windermere, Yoda has been asleep for nearly six months.

This morning, he peeked out from under the straw and ventured out into the warm sunshine.

'He sleeps from April to September as a rule,” says Olive.

Yoda spends his hibernation period over winter hunkered down inside a two-storey replica of Olive's donkey barn, with two garden gnomes guarding him nearby.

Tortoises are land-dwelling reptiles, and tend to be generally reclusive. They have one of the longest lifespans of any animal, and some individuals are known to have lived longer than 150 years. Olive thinks Yoda is about 17 or 18 years old.

Tortoises move very slowly on dry land, at only 0.27 km per hour.

At the first sign of autumn, a tortoise starts digging the ground to form its hibernaculum, using its fore-feet in a very slow motion.

Frodo and Yoda, best of mates.

It usually likes to bury itself in mud.

As the temperature drops it loses its appetite for food until it stops eating. During hibernation it stops breathing as well. Once spring arrives, it wakes up from hibernation but takes a while before it starts eating again.

Gradually as the temperature warms up, it gains its appetite and energy.

During hot summer days, tortoises eat voraciously, and spend many hours sleeping, especially in the late afternoons through to the next morning.

Although tortoises love warm weather, they avoid hot sun, hiding under green leaves or between vegetation.

Most land-based tortoises are herbivores, feeding on grasses, weeds, leafy greens, flowers, and some fruits.

'He's happy today because he's come out without encouragement,” says Olive.

Yoda will spend summer enjoying his outdoor area with his St Bernard buddy close at hand.