A fell walker has been reunited with his set of dentures a year after losing them in the Lake District.
David Packer from Manchester had just climbed the Haystacks in January 2007 when he stopped for a chocolate bar.
He popped out his dental plate and wrapped it up in a hankerchief, but mistakenly left it behind.
Amazingly, last month – one year on – keen walker Alan Marsden found the teeth.
He put an advert in the lost and found section of a walking magazine and Mr Packer got in touch.
The grateful owner said: ‘I opened the magazine and saw a picture of my plate looking back at me. I couldn’t believe it. I contacted the person and got them posted back to me.
‘I had visions of a sheep wandering around the Lakes with a set of my shiny teeth – I never thought I would see them again."
He bought the set for £450 a few years ago but survived the weather thanks to its titanium base.
Mr Packer admitted they were a bit tight when he popped them back in but said he would be using the teeth as a spare set in the future.
Mr Marsden from Gamblesby, near Penrith, said: ‘I was out walking with my wife when she spotted something shiny on the ground.
‘We looked further and saw it was a dental plate just lying there – it was still in good condition.’
The pair then met with friends – including a trainee dentist – who confirmed the teeth would have been worth hundreds of pounds.
‘I thought the owner might be missing them and decided to put an advert in the lost gloves section of Trail magazine,’ added Mr Marsden.
