Lottie was found plodding along a street close to her owner's home in Grays, Essex.
She escaped in August 2008, leaving her nine-year old owner Maddie Tibble distraught.
But the tortoise didn't get far, only making it to a street near to the comprehensive that Maddie now attends, William Edwards School.
A passer-by spotted the animal and handed her in to a vet's surgery. As Lottie was microchipped she was easily reunited with her owner.