Long Way From
Long Way Round, Long Way Down; What’s Next for Intrepid Actors?
Successful Hollywood actor Ewan McGregor and his best friend and fellow actor Charley Boorman simply love having adventures on their motorbikes. However, it’s just not a case of travelling a few leisurely miles on Sundays; these boys are serious, long distance bikers. On their last two trips the intrepid pair, plus their cameraman Claudio Von Planta – along to record their travels for documentary broadcast – have managed to clock up a staggering 34,000 miles on their odometers.
In 2004, the pair decided to take a trip between London and New York. But, rather than take the easy option of flying or cruising the Atlantic, they decided to ride their motorbikes the opposite way around the globe; taking ‘The Long Way Round’. Their 19,000 mile circuitous route involved travelling across Europe and Asia, before crossing the Bering Strait by air, then back on the road to travel the final leg from Alaska to New York. With the exception of their flight, a 600 mile train journey through Siberia, and an impassable short section of their trip through Russia, the entire route was completed on two wheels and took three and a half months.
Although the pair were accompanied only by cameraman Von Planta on bikes, they did have a support and security team following behind in two off-road vehicles, otherwise they would have been unable to complete their arduous trip. But, the whole expedition wasn’t just a jolly for the two thespians, it was undertaken to help highlight the work done by UNICEF, and during their journey McGregor and Boorman saw some of the projects done by the international relief agency at first-hand in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Three years later the pair decided to dust off their bike leathers, and this time travel the ‘Long Way Down’ from John O’Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa, another gruelling 15,000 miles. The journey took just under three months to complete. Starting out on May 12th they reached Cape Town on 4th August 2007, the entire ride and their sometimes hairy adventures again all captured on film by Von Planta. Again, the trip was used to highlight UNICEF’s relief efforts and the two actively encouraged viewers of their documentary broadcast to contribute to the charitable effort.
Although both trips were overwhelming successful, there were some serious incidents, and the extensive damage done to the bikes on their travels made it clear to see why they were unable to get motorbike insurance, and why their life insurance premiums were almost prohibitive. They were held up at gunpoint, suffered horrendous swelling following insect bites, were victims of theft and endured numerous mechanical failures, including water in the engines; certainly not adventures for the faint-hearted, and also why both trips made such compelling TV.
Despite their joint declaration that they won’t consider doing it again in the near future, keep your eyes peeled for the pair’s next two-wheeled adventure, as they are sure to get the bug again soon.
About the Author
Andrew Regan is an online, freelance author from Scotland. He is a keen rugby player and enjoys travelling.
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