Neil Gaiman under fire for his 11,000-mile trip to Skye
THE author Neil Gaiman has been criticised after he admitted travelling more than 11,000 miles from New Zealand to his house on Skye in breach of lockdown rules.
Writing on his blog, the author of American Gods and Good Omens said he had travelled to Scotland so he could “isolate easily” after he and his wife, the American singer Amanda Palmer, agreed they “needed to give each other some space”.
He described how he flew “masked and gloved” from Auckland Airport to Los Angeles (LAX) and then on to London before borrowing a friend’s car and driving north to Skye.
Only essential journeys are permitted under lockdown rules in Scotland, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stressing that the message north of the border is “stay at home”.
Ian Blackford, the SNP’S Westminster leader and MP for Skye, wrote on Twitter: “Can I just remind anyone else thinking of coming to the Highlands this is against the regulations.
“To come from the other end of the planet is gobsmacking. We will welcome all to the Highlands when it is safe to do so. For now stay away.” In a post on his blog on Thursday, Gaiman wrote: “Hullo from Scotland, where I am in rural lockdown on my own.”
He said he was in New Zealand with his wife and son Ash until two weeks ago, when the country went from level four of lockdown to level three.
Gaiman wrote: “Both flights were surreal … empty airports, mostly empty planes. It reminded me of flying a week after 9/11: everything’s changed.”
He added: “I drove north … on empty roads, and got in about midnight, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Gaiman said he and his wife “are still very much together, even with half a world between us”.
Responding to criticism from social media users who argued that Scotland was in lockdown, Gaiman wrote: “I’m currently a UK taxpayer and on the Scottish voting rolls. I went home.”