Tim Dowling: the tortoise has been plotting his escape for more than half a century

He’d been waiting about a decade to make his latest dash for freedom, and he grasped the opportunity like a pro

A reader writes, asking how I can let my tortoise roam free in my back garden. She’d like to do the same with her adopted tortoise, but is worried it will escape.

I explain that my garden is bounded by high brick walls, safely sealing the tortoise in, but that I too am consumed by fear that he will escape. He’s very good at hiding, and this always strikes me as a strategy: wait until they think you’ve already gone, and their guard will drop.