THE CP couple stranded in Nepal by coronavirus have made it home.

Gardening columnist Richard Wright, 65, and 48-year-old features writer Kate Cranwell, flew in to Heathrow on Sunday morning after a marathon 35-hour journey including a 12-hour stopover in Frankfurt.

They had spent a ten-day holiday of a lifetime in Nepal, travelling there before a pandemic was declared.

However, they were caught in the country after the Nepal government locked down all international flights in and out of the capital, Kathmandu.

“After the British Embassy in Kathmandu made all the right noises early on, and a flight with Qatar Airways last Thursday was organised but cancelled at short notice, we heard hardly anything from officials,” said Richard.

“I had twice e-mailed our MP Bob Seely and received only an automated response,” he said.

“It was not that we were in dire straits. It was becoming expensive but it was 25C, our hotel had stayed open just for the remaining seven of us, we were being fed and watered and we were with people who became tremendous friends.

“It was just the uncertainty. We could have been stranded for days or weeks. Our desire to be home was set against the backcloth of our government possibly pulling up the UK drawbridge entirely.”

Flydubai, which is part of Emirates, had cancelled their original scheduled flight home on March 21 without giving a reason and remained not contactable, leaving holidaymakers to try to organise other ways of getting the 4,000 miles home.

Then the lockdown was introduced by the Nepal government.

Kate said: “Prices for flights rocket in this situation. Some, after the end of the first lockdown was scheduled to end on March 31, were £5,000 each, which was more than treble the maximum our insurance would meet,” said Kate.

“The lockdown has since been extended to April 8.

“After we got the call that the German Embassy had organised a repatriation flight despite the lockdown, our group got the last seats that could not be filled by German nationals and at a cost we could afford.

“We were very, very grateful for that.

“We got socially distanced food and essentials hampers and warm welcomes when we eventually arrived on the Island yesterday (Sunday) from our friends and family before we went into isolation.

“They included a humorous poster from my ex and his partner which was a reference to a comment from an internet troll who had branded us 'Middle Class Fools' for going on holiday.”