Long Way Round

This ten episode video series covers Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as they travel around the world on motorbikes.  There are  highways, gravel roads, quagmires of mud and rivers to travel on their journey, all documented by their cameraman Claudio. Many times they were told “it cannot be done” but they found their way. It is a story about friendship, determination, adventure, and realizing dreams. McGregor and Boorman are a fun to watch and they liberally douse the adventure with humour.

If you ride motorbikes, you will love these shows. If you don’t ride, you are likely to love them anyway as the secondary themes of overcoming obstacles, trusting strangers, working together, and leaving your comfort zone are applicable anywhere. The scenery includes stunning landscapes as they head east to Russia and the road of bones (Mongolia is gorgeous). If you don’t want it to end, you are in luck because they did a second trip from northern Scotland to the southern tip of Africa in Long Way Down.

This is the perfect series for my husband and I to watch together. A bike ride into Kananaskis was our third date, and despite me nearly getting hypothermia due to a freak snow squall, we are still together 😉

While he was still a student we spent weekends riding on the rural back roads around Elmira, Elora Gorge, Fergus and Waterloo enjoying the covered bridges, autumn colours and wind in our faces. The Waterloo Farmers ‘ Market was a weekly stop as well.

Back home in Alberta he taught me to ride off-road and encouraged me to get my own licence, which was simple after the hair-raising off-road tests he devised for me. There is a huge sense of accomplishment going from no skill to competency. One of my best memories of this time is riding up a big, grassy hill with a curious coyote loping along beside me. The sun was shining, the wildflowers were blooming and I was happy as can be. That moment is fused into my memory. In fact there are quite a few bike memories in my bucket of favourites.

We traded in our bikes for a more family-friendly sail boat a few years ago, but open road still beckons.