Charley Boorman & Ewan McGregor
Long Way Round
If you don't know what Long Way Round is all about, you obviously have no interest in motorcycles or, travelling around the world, and you have definitely come to the wrong page. So, click on the menu and find something else to look at :-)
Long Way Round started in London on April 14th 2004. McGregor and Boorman (and Claudio von Planta) then rode 20,000 miles in three months through some of the most inhospitable landscapes that anyone has ever attempted on two wheels.
The adventure came to pass after McGregor had looked at a map of the world and thought that it should be possible. He had read Ted Simon's Jupiter's Travels and had been inspired by it and thought, 'Why not?' (In fact, the pair met up with Ted SImon in Ulaanbataar during their trip and at the end of SImon's second around-the-world odyssey.)
Yes, others had done it before. Others had travelled further, for longer, with less money and more primitive equipment and, whatever your feelings about movie stars, the film crew, the support vehicles, and the fact that they had a pretty good budget to do it, they still rode 20,000 miles in three months. You cannot knock that, no matter how hard you try. It is still an amazing adventure.
Read the book, watch the DVD, and fail to be impressed. I dare you!
Long Way Round started in London on April 14th 2004. McGregor and Boorman (and Claudio von Planta) then rode 20,000 miles in three months through some of the most inhospitable landscapes that anyone has ever attempted on two wheels.
The adventure came to pass after McGregor had looked at a map of the world and thought that it should be possible. He had read Ted Simon's Jupiter's Travels and had been inspired by it and thought, 'Why not?' (In fact, the pair met up with Ted SImon in Ulaanbataar during their trip and at the end of SImon's second around-the-world odyssey.)
Yes, others had done it before. Others had travelled further, for longer, with less money and more primitive equipment and, whatever your feelings about movie stars, the film crew, the support vehicles, and the fact that they had a pretty good budget to do it, they still rode 20,000 miles in three months. You cannot knock that, no matter how hard you try. It is still an amazing adventure.
Read the book, watch the DVD, and fail to be impressed. I dare you!
Long Way Down
Three years after Long Way Round, the Wanderlust was still very much in Ewan McGregor's and Charley Boorman's blood. Perhaps, even more than before. In the intervening period, Boorman had attempted the 2006 Paris-Dakar Rally and was on his way to becoming 'an adventurer', whilst McGregor's film career had made him one of the biggest names in the movie business. But, the desire to get back on the road to somewhere would not go away.
They toyed with the idea of another journey. Where to, though? South America? Africa? India? Eventually, they decided on Africa; top to bottom. A route was decided and, starting at John ' Groats, they proceeded to ride 15,000 miles to Cape Town, at the very southern tip of Africa, experiencing the astonishing variety of scenery and conditions, and meeting some very special people along the way.
Long Way Down is an eye-opening and, often, thought-provoking journey across a continent that, most of us, actually, know very little about. Because of their high profile, they secured funding to enable them to take a support crew and third man, Claudio von Planta, once again to record a truly fantastic journey of discovery.
Read the book, watch the DVD and admit that you either want to do the same or, that you have a sneaking admiration for them because they did do it.
Will there be a Long Way Up? Well, it has been rumoured but, we wait. South America from Tierra Del Fuego to ??? perhaps...
They toyed with the idea of another journey. Where to, though? South America? Africa? India? Eventually, they decided on Africa; top to bottom. A route was decided and, starting at John ' Groats, they proceeded to ride 15,000 miles to Cape Town, at the very southern tip of Africa, experiencing the astonishing variety of scenery and conditions, and meeting some very special people along the way.
Long Way Down is an eye-opening and, often, thought-provoking journey across a continent that, most of us, actually, know very little about. Because of their high profile, they secured funding to enable them to take a support crew and third man, Claudio von Planta, once again to record a truly fantastic journey of discovery.
Read the book, watch the DVD and admit that you either want to do the same or, that you have a sneaking admiration for them because they did do it.
Will there be a Long Way Up? Well, it has been rumoured but, we wait. South America from Tierra Del Fuego to ??? perhaps...