McGregor saddles up for 15,000 miles of motorbike marathon
McGregor saddles up for 15,000 miles of motorbike marathon
Mon 14 May 2007
RAYMOND HAINEY
FILM superstar Ewan McGregor set off yesterday on his latest motorbike adventure under a veil of secrecy.
McGregor, 36, best known for his role in Star Wars, and friend Charley Boorman, 40, son of movie director John, set off from Scotland's most northerly point, John O'Groats, early on Saturday morning on a 15,000 marathon bike trip to Africa.
The pair - who three years ago travelled 20,000 miles across Europe to America on another televised trip - decided they wanted to keep the start of their latest trek as low-key as possible.
Only a few trusted friends and family were told the exact time they would be heading off.
Ewan's father, Jim, and fighter pilot brother Colin, who is based at RAF Leuchars, were there to see the pair set off on their three-month trip, which will be filmed for a BBC series.
One John O'Groats local said: "We had heard Ewan and Charley were leaving from here but nobody was sure when.
"The whole thing almost got off to a false start after Charley had problems with his bike and they were delayed for an hour.
"Ewan's dad and his brother were there to give them a big send-off and Ewan and Charley looked really up for it."
McGregor's mother Carol last night maintained the low-key approach to her superstar son's latest adventure, to be televised as The Long Way Down.
She said: "I just don't want to say anything about it at all."
The journey will see father-of-three McGregor and Boorman bike down through Europe and into Africa, ending at the continent's most southerly point, Cape Town in South Africa.
Trainspotting star McGregor's wife, Eve, is expected to join the pair later this month for part of the bike ride.
Like their first trip, they will use their journey to publicise the work of UNICEF, visiting several of the organisation's projects along the route.
The duo will travel through as many as 20 countries including France, Italy, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. They expect to arrive at their destination sometime in August.
But it is when they reach African danger-spots such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda that they expect to encounter the most problems.
The pair have decided not to use hi-tech satellite navigation systems but rely on old-fashioned maps instead.
Motoring giant BMW supplied the two R1200GS Adventures bikes the pair are using for the journey.
A BMW spokesman said: "The bikes are totally standard - we've fitted some crash bars and some luggage holders but other than that, they're the same as you would see in the shops."
He added: "The boys have had the bikes for two weeks to get used to them."
Three years ago, McGregor and Boorman travelled 20,000 miles across the globe on their first bike journey, filmed as The Long Way Round, driving through eastern Europe, Mongolia, Siberia and Alaska, before eventually arriving in New York.
At one point, the pair were held by gun-toting militiamen as they crossed into the Ukraine. The border guards failed to recognise them and refused to let the pair go until they produced relevant documents.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=742742007
Mon 14 May 2007
RAYMOND HAINEY
FILM superstar Ewan McGregor set off yesterday on his latest motorbike adventure under a veil of secrecy.
McGregor, 36, best known for his role in Star Wars, and friend Charley Boorman, 40, son of movie director John, set off from Scotland's most northerly point, John O'Groats, early on Saturday morning on a 15,000 marathon bike trip to Africa.
The pair - who three years ago travelled 20,000 miles across Europe to America on another televised trip - decided they wanted to keep the start of their latest trek as low-key as possible.
Only a few trusted friends and family were told the exact time they would be heading off.
Ewan's father, Jim, and fighter pilot brother Colin, who is based at RAF Leuchars, were there to see the pair set off on their three-month trip, which will be filmed for a BBC series.
One John O'Groats local said: "We had heard Ewan and Charley were leaving from here but nobody was sure when.
"The whole thing almost got off to a false start after Charley had problems with his bike and they were delayed for an hour.
"Ewan's dad and his brother were there to give them a big send-off and Ewan and Charley looked really up for it."
McGregor's mother Carol last night maintained the low-key approach to her superstar son's latest adventure, to be televised as The Long Way Down.
She said: "I just don't want to say anything about it at all."
The journey will see father-of-three McGregor and Boorman bike down through Europe and into Africa, ending at the continent's most southerly point, Cape Town in South Africa.
Trainspotting star McGregor's wife, Eve, is expected to join the pair later this month for part of the bike ride.
Like their first trip, they will use their journey to publicise the work of UNICEF, visiting several of the organisation's projects along the route.
The duo will travel through as many as 20 countries including France, Italy, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. They expect to arrive at their destination sometime in August.
But it is when they reach African danger-spots such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda that they expect to encounter the most problems.
The pair have decided not to use hi-tech satellite navigation systems but rely on old-fashioned maps instead.
Motoring giant BMW supplied the two R1200GS Adventures bikes the pair are using for the journey.
A BMW spokesman said: "The bikes are totally standard - we've fitted some crash bars and some luggage holders but other than that, they're the same as you would see in the shops."
He added: "The boys have had the bikes for two weeks to get used to them."
Three years ago, McGregor and Boorman travelled 20,000 miles across the globe on their first bike journey, filmed as The Long Way Round, driving through eastern Europe, Mongolia, Siberia and Alaska, before eventually arriving in New York.
At one point, the pair were held by gun-toting militiamen as they crossed into the Ukraine. The border guards failed to recognise them and refused to let the pair go until they produced relevant documents.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=742742007