Scotland is open – and desperate for English tourists

When I told my friends I was heading to the Outer Hebrides on holiday — escaping from London as soon as it was legal to do so — I thought they might be envious. Instead, a few were worried for my safety. ‘Just don’t say you’re from England,’ suggested one. Another encouraged me to ‘lay low’ with my fiancé when boarding the three-hour ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway. Dangerous times, they seemed to think, for anyone down south to head to the Highlands and islands.

I initially brushed off these concerns as confusion over Covid restrictions. Travel rules have changed so many times over the last year — not just nationally but locally. Each of the devolved administrations has often given different guidance. It’s understandable that not everyone would be up to date with the fact that people living in England can now legally go north of the border just for leisure.