Back in the saddle
T’S a long time coming,” notes Ewan McGregor of his reunion with fellow actor and motorbike enthusiast Charley Boorman. Twelve years to be precise. Following on from the success of 2004’s Long Way Round and 2007’s Long Way Down, the pair’s new Apple
TV+ series, Long Way Up, documents their adventure across some of the remotest regions of South America.
Ewan explains: “Charley and I had drifted apart somewhat over the years since we did Long Way Down, due to the fact I’d moved to America and Charley was very busy – he’d shot other television shows and he was doing a lot of touring with other people on motorbikes.
“When I was working in London or I came over to visit family, Charley was often just not there. There was no fallout or anything, we just sort of drifted apart.”
It’s often said a near-death experience can act as a catalyst for change. In the case of Ewan and Charley, it was an accident during a European trip that acted as the trigger for a long-overdue reunion.
Scottish star Ewan, 49, first rose to prominence in Danny Boyle’s cult classics Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. He subsequently starred in blockbusters including Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and DC Comics’ Birds Of Prey.
Similarly, Charley, 54, who is also a travel writer, has released a string of books documenting his adventures both on and off his motorbike, including Extreme Frontiers and Right To The Edge.
“I think you’ll see in the show, Charley had a very terrible motorcycle accident in Portugal and I think it sort of reminded me that you can’t let these important friendships in your life drift and
Charley had a very terrible motorcycle accident... I think it sort of reminded me that you can’t let these important friendships in your life drift... you’ve got to look after them,” says Ewan.
“As soon as I was able to, I got to see Charley in London and then we picked up where we’d left off.
“It was like no time had passed. Poor old Charley was wheeling around; it took a long time – he had an almost two-year recovery from that accident, which was brutal.”
The accident in question took place while on a press trip celebrating the launch of the new Triumph motorbike. The nearfatal encounter saw Charley career into a wall in an attempt to avoid an oncoming motorist.
“It was touch and go as to whether I’d keep one leg,” recalls Charley.
“Thanks to the doctors, I did and I’m able to ride motorbikes again. But for me, it was always about my therapy – and my physiotherapy was all focused on the fact I needed to get back on that motorbike and have that freedom.
“I think that happens to a lot of people who ride motorbikes. Ewan broke his leg just before starting Long Way Down and I’ll never forget, I was in the warehouse and Ewan turned up with his plastic boot on, hobbling in.
“He goes, ‘hey, I’m just taking the Sunbeam (motorcycle) out.’
I said, ‘it’s a bit early, isn’t it?”’
Armed with a rekindled desire to get back on the road, plans for a third instalment of the Long
Way series quickly fell into place. Conversation then turned to the potential for swapping traditional petrol-fuelled motorbike engines for a greener alternative. The idea? To put renewable energy to the test in some of the most remote regions on earth.
“When we decided to go electric, I don’t think we wanted the electric motorcycle to get in the way of the adventure; we wanted it to be part of it. We were both very excited about that,” says Charley.
“They were all prototype vehicles. We didn’t get much of a chance to be able to test them,” he adds.
“When we finally got to South America to start our journey, Long Way Up, I think Ewan and I had only ridden the Harley Davidsons for a couple of hours and we’d never really charged them. So, it was a really steep learning curve.”
There began a series of challenges brought on by the continent’s dramatic terrain and diverse weather conditions.
“We started in the winter, which was not such good planning on our behalf,” recalls Charley.
“We realised the batteries don’t like it when it’s very cold, so they don’t go as far... we would try to find someone that would let us plug into their house, or their youth hostel, or their home.”
Technical difficulties aside, the freezing temperatures proved no match for the pair’s determination and wicked sense of humour.
“When it gets tough is when we get our funniest, I think,” notes Ewan.
“There was one night when we had real issues charging the bikes... we did our first long ride into the night, and it was super cold – I mean sub-zero... We put on every single piece of clothing that we had... We were just surviving on the bikes.
“At that point, we just ended up getting so stupid – because we can speak to each other through our helmets, we’ve got radios in there – that’s some of the funniest stuff, I think, because we were just literally keeping each other going and it becomes almost hysterical.”
The adverse weather conditions, coupled with the newly rekindled friendship, saw the trip transform into a bonding experience.
In particular, a wide stretch of Bolivian desert, which proved
“some of the hardest riding I think that we did on the trip. It really pushed us to the limit”, recalls Charley.
“I’d fall off and Ewan would be there helping me up and vice versa. It’s very nice to know your best friend has got your back and is there to pick you up – it’s a special relationship.”
Rough ride: