Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World

by Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman

It started as a daydream. Poring over a map of the world at home one quiet Saturday afternoon, Ewan McGregor - actor and self-confessed bike nut - noticed that it was possible to ride all the way round the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. It was a revelation he couldn't get out of his head. So he picked up the phone and called Charley Boorman, his best friend, fellow actor and bike enthusiast. 'Charley,' he said. 'I think you ought to come over for dinner...' From London to New York, Ewan and Charley chased their shadows through Europe, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, across the Pacific to Alaska, then down through Canada and America. But as the miles slipped beneath the tyres of their big BMWs, their troubles started. Exhaustion, injury and accidents tested their strength. Treacherous roads, unpredictable weather and turbulent politics challenged their stamina. They were chased by paparazzi in Kazakhstan, courted by men with very large guns in the Ukraine, hassled by the police, and given bulls' testicles for supper by Mongolian nomads. And yet despite all these obstacles they managed to ride over 20,000 miles in four months, changing their lives forever in the process. As they travelled they documented their trip, taking photographs, and writing diaries by the campfire. Long Way Round is the result of their adventures - a fascinating, frank and highly entertaining travel book about two friends riding round the world together and, against all the odds, realising their dream.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

320 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and charity.
While studying drama at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, McGregor began his career with a leading role in the British series Lipstick on Your Collar (1993). He gained stardom for starring as drug addict Mark Renton in Trainspotting (1996) and as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005). His career progressed with starring roles in the musical Moulin Rouge! (2001), action film Black Hawk Down (2001), fantasy film Big Fish (2003), and thriller Angels and Demons (2009). He gained praise for his performances in the thriller The Ghost Writer (2010) and romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011).
McGregor made his directorial debut with the crime film American Pastoral (2016), in which he also starred. For his dual role as brothers Ray and Emmit Stussy in the third season of the anthology series Fargo (2017), he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. He voiced Lumière in Beauty and the Beast (2017), and played the title role in Christopher Robin (2018), Dan Torrance in Doctor Sleep (2019), and Black Mask in Birds of Prey (2020). He reprised his role as Kenobi in the 2022 miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his portrayal of fashion designer Halston in the miniseries Halston (2021).
McGregor has also starred in theatre productions of Guys and Dolls (2005–2007) and Othello (2007–2008). He has been involved in charity work and has served as an ambassador for UNICEF UK since 2004.

Reviews

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the book for what it is. For the adventure they are taking, for all the places they are visiting. Many of those I will never see. I love seeing all the cultures and traditions.
So what if they are whining about their wives. If you love your wife/husband you would be whining too if you were away from them.
Long way Round is a Journey from London through Russia and Canada/America to New York.
Long way Down takes you from Scotland through Europe and Africa.

[Pete Hite · Rating 5 out of 5]

The film was better...no, it wasn't

This book captures what the show couldn't; the most intimate details, the true feelings of Ewan and Charlie, nothing made for tv. It reflects the experience of two mates riding around the world on their motorcycles in a way that the tv show couldn't. Ewan and Charlie reveal things that were omitted from the show, talk about events that stayed on the cutting room floor, let you see things that the cameras didn't capture. An excellent read.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing journey

I'm a huge fan of travel books, but I watched this first on the tv and the book was a completely different perspective. I know nothing about motorcycles but the book was easy to understand and the stories rich and warming. I love Ewan McGregor but didn't chalk him up as a writer, I was wrong! If you like Bill Bryson or enjoyed Jupiter's Travels, this book is for you! Wonderful read.

[James Wiggins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish this book. Two spoiled rich kids on an “Adventure” complete with servants, handlers, extra motorcycles pulled on trailers along with them. Ridiculous. Who the hell can relate to that?

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about a motorcycle ride the length of Africa.