‘You have an 80% chance of getting there’: Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on the joy of riding old motorcycles

Last year saw the 20th anniversary of the friends’ first televised trip, which saw them ride 19,000 miles from London to New York. In their new adventure, ‘Long Way Home’, they stay a little closer to home. Emma Henderson speaks to the duo about the freedom of the road, its mental health benefits, and their refusal to hang up their helmets

When the riding gets hard, we usually have the best time,” says Ewan McGregor, talking fondly about his latest big motorcycle journey with good friend Charley Boorman, which forms the fourth instalment in their series of bike travel programmes, titled Long Way Home.

“That’s when you start to laugh a lot. The harder it is, the more bizarrely funny it becomes,” adds Boorman.

Returning to our screens this month, the familiar format sees the motorbike enthusiasts get back in the saddle for a new adventure, which starts at McGregor’s house in Scotland and ends at Boorman’s place in England. “Obviously it’s just the long way... round,” jokes McGregor about a journey that takes them across 17 countries. A trip that Boorman calls “just a short detour”.

“We were on the trickiest terrain in Bolivia – it was probably our most challenging bit of riding,” says McGregor, explaining that the duo have their best ideas, communicating via the mics in their helmets, when they are negotiating difficult terrain. “While we were shaking through these rocks and trying to get through this sand and dirt, we started talking about Scandinavia and how that would be an amazing part of the world to explore,” he adds.

A winding road: Though Europe’s pathways are an improvement on the sort of terrain the duo are used to, there is still the odd twist and turn (Apple TV +)

It seems to be a recurring theme. “We start daydreaming about another trip because it makes it easier to stop the one you’re on,” says McGregor, acknowledging that there’s part of him that “never wants to stop being on the road. It’s such an escape and an adventure.”

In the latest series – which began on 9 May, with its 10 episodes being drip-fed weekly – the pair cross 17 countries and rack up almost 10,000 miles. They explore the Netherlands, the Baltic coast, Scandinavia, the Arctic Circle and central Europe before returning to the UK. Some of the highlights include the famous Lysevegen road, with its 17 hairpin bends, which needs to be seen from above to be properly appreciated; a visit to Charley’s German family on his mother’s side; an encounter with Vikings; crossing Norwegian fjords; and experiencing endless daylight in the Arctic.

Though what’s most impressive is that the pair are even able to continue with the series, considering the two horrific bike accidents Charley has suffered in the last decade. It’s only since the start 2024 that he says he’s “felt normal and been able to walk again” following numerous operations to fix the injuries he sustained, not to mention the trauma of these experiences.

In a crash in 2016, he badly broke both his legs, and he almost lost one of them. Thankfully it was saved, though it’s now an inch shorter. The damage resulted in 20 surgeries, and it took him almost two years to recover. Then, in 2018, he suffered a far worse accident in South Africa: his only memory is waking up in hospital 24 hours later. That time he broke his forearm, his pelvis, and all of his ribs on the left-hand side, as well as suffering a collapsed lung and a serious head injury, all of which took his operations total to 35.

For many, that would be the end of their motorcycling career, yet it was the thought of getting back on a bike that kept Boorman going. Despite not being able to walk, he knew he’d be able to ride. It helps to improve his mental health, too: he says the long periods of time on the road allow him to think with few distractions, meaning he is able to live in the present.

Brothers in RPMs: ‘Long Way Home’ sees Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman cross 17 countries and rack up almost 10,000 miles (Apple TV +)

It’s their almost addiction to riding that keeps the two returning to the saddle, and to the series. Though it has plenty of positives for them both, this time, they’ve limited the journey to 10 weeks, setting off in June with a week in the middle when they’re joined by their families in Helsinki. It’s a stark contrast to the 4.5-month-long trips they used to undertake when both had young children. “The older you get, the less you want to be away,” says McGregor, thinking back to the days of filming Long Way Round. “I can’t imagine that now,” he adds.

As well as shortening the length of the trip, the pair have changed their choice of motorcycle, as they do for every trip. In a nod to nostalgia, they both opted for classic bikes. McGregor rides a 1974 Moto Guzzi Eldorado, a former US police patrol bike that still has its police siren (which he likes to use perhaps a little too often). And Boorman picks a 1974 BMW R75/5, which, when delivered to his home, turns out to be a little more rusty than he first thought. This results in weeks’ worth of repair work being completed in just a few days to get it roadworthy.

Their decision to use sturdy old touring machines also allows the two more freedom than they had while filming Long Way Up, in which they rather overambitiously (considering how early it was for the technology) chose to ride electric bikes. This meant they were confined by unreliable charging, a lack of fast chargers, and “all sorts of fantastic difficulties”, says Boorman, including being unable to fix any problems as easily themselves, though he says it “made it interesting”.

McGregor: ‘The older you get, the less you want to be away’ (Apple TV +)

Following on from that journey, Long Way Home is something of a back-to-basics trip, more in line with the earlier series. The pair knew the terrain would be far better than some they’ve experienced – the gravel roads in Northern Kenya, or the crater-like potholes in Kazakhstan. So riding on smooth European roads meant “we had to make it harder for ourselves”, McGregor says, laughing.

Admitting old bikes come with their problems too, Boorman says: “You only have an 80 per cent chance of getting to where you want to go.” But with breakdowns and small accidents “come the best parts of the trip”, thanks to the people you meet – one of the true joys of travelling. It’s the unpredictability you can’t plan for that makes for the most exhilarating experiences – and stories.

Though they make it back without too many dings in the bikes (or themselves), the word “home” in the title could be read as a sign that this will be the last of their Long Way series. Yet it sounds like there might be plenty more fuel in the proverbial tank for whichever road they choose next. “I wouldn’t say it’s the end of the line,” says McGregor, with a slightly knowing smirk.

‘Long Way Home’ is available to watch now on Apple TV+