An 11-year-old Scot has become the youngest person ever to climb the Matterhorn, one of the world's deadliest summits. 

Jules Molyneaux, from Perthshire, scaled the Swiss mountain in around four hours, having spent much of the lockdown preparing for the feat.

Jules was joined on the journey by his father Chris. The two saw first-hand how deadly the mountain, which kills around 12 would-be climbers a year, can be.

"The climbing has just opened as it was pretty dangerous, lots of snow with falling rocks," Chris said.

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"On the day of our climb, there were 10 of us and one person died. A guy fell 400 metres and they had to collect him by helicopter."

However, Jules said he was not scared, but nervous, adding: "You just have to keep focusing, one step after the other. Lose concentration and you slip and fall."

Due to the dangers involved a person normally has to be at least 16 before attempting the climb.

However, Chris told the BBC they had done a "lot of technical high altitude climbs" which Jules "aced", so the local guides were convinced to allow him the try.

The National: The Matterhorn, seen from a distanceThe Matterhorn, seen from a distance

Chris said: "He kept training and training and then a year ago started to take it seriously, and then six months ago we thought we would give it a shot.

"Where we are based in the highlands of Scotland, we are surrounded by Ben Nevis and all the climbing meccas there, but it's more of a serious game in the Alps."

Ascending the Matterhorn involves dealing with "fixed ropes, single-climber rock faces, ice, snow ... rock falls, and avalanches", according to Mountaineering by Lee Black.

The summit of the iconic pyramid-shaped mountain is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) high.

The youngest person to scale the peak before Jules is believed to be a local Swiss boy, who climbed up with his mountaineer father when he was 12.

But, Jules said, it's not about being the youngest ever: "It's about doing it together and having as much fun as possible."