Long Way Round (LWR) is a documentary television series, DVD set and book documenting the 19,000 mile (31,000 km) journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles. They travelled eastwards through Europe and Asia, flew to Alaska and continued by road from there to New York. Image File history File linksMetadata Lwrpromodz. ... Charley Boorman (born on August 23, 1966 in Wimbledon, London, UK), is an English actor and the son of movie director John Boorman and his wife, the former Christel Kruse. ... Ewan Gordon McGregor (born March 31, 1971; pronounced [1]) is a Scottish actor who has had significant success in mainstream, indie and art house films. ... Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ... Ewan Gordon McGregor (born March 31, 1971; pronounced [1]) is a Scottish actor who has had significant success in mainstream, indie and art house films. ... Charley Boorman (born on August 23, 1966 in Wimbledon, London, UK), is an English actor and the son of movie director John Boorman and his wife, the former Christel Kruse. ... Ewan Gordon McGregor (born March 31, 1971; pronounced [1]) is a Scottish actor who has had significant success in mainstream, indie and art house films. ... Charley Boorman (born on August 23, 1966 in Wimbledon, London, UK), is an English actor and the son of movie director John Boorman and his wife, the former Christel Kruse. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Race To Dakar is a documentary television series, book and DVD set, documenting Charley Boormans entry into the 2006 Lisbon-Dakar Rally. ... Long Way Down is the title of the latest adventure being undertaken by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. ... Ewan Gordon McGregor (born March 31, 1971; pronounced [1]) is a Scottish actor who has had significant success in mainstream, indie and art house films. ... Charley Boorman (born on August 23, 1966 in Wimbledon, London, UK), is an English actor and the son of movie director John Boorman and his wife, the former Christel Kruse. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses, see Motorcycle (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ...

Overview

From mid-April to the end of July 2004, McGregor, Boorman, motorcycle riding cameraman Claudio von Planta and their support crew travelled from London to New York, via Western and Central Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia and Canada, for a cumulative distance of 18,887 miles (30,395 km). The only sections of the trip not undertaken by motorcycle were 580 miles (930 km) by train in Siberia, a short impassable section towards the end of their Russian journey, which was undertaken by truck, and a 2,505 mile (4,035 km) flight from Magadan in eastern Russia to Anchorage, Alaska. Upon encountering numerous swollen rivers and a serious lack of functioning bridges while travelling along the Road of Bones to Magadan, the riders got their motorbikes through some fairly deep rivers. However, the summer run-off from the Siberian winter was in full flow and after a valiant effort, the bikes eventually had to be loaded into the trucks of passing drivers and ferried across some of the worst rivers. Cameraman redirects here. ... Claudio von Planta (born 16 September 1962) is a Swiss cameraman, director and filmmaker. ... A current understanding of Western Europe. ... Central Europe The Alpine Countries and the Visegrád Group (Political map, 2004) Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... This article is about Siberia as a whole. ... For other uses, see Train (disambiguation). ... This article is about Siberia as a whole. ... Magadan vicinity from the US Defense Mapping Agency (1978) Orthographic projection centred over Magadan Magadan, Russia city flag. ... This article is about the city in the U.S. state of Alaska. ... The Road of Bones is a notorious road through far Eastern Russia. ... Magadan vicinity from the US Defense Mapping Agency (1978) Orthographic projection centred over Magadan Magadan, Russia city flag. ...

The journey visited twelve countries, starting in the UK, then passing through France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, USA and Canada, before returning to USA and ending in New York. In early episodes of the series the narration claims that they will visit 13 countries, which is consistent with a map in the book version which shows they briefly entered Kyrgystan while travelling between the Kazakh cities of Shymkent and Almaty. However, the entry into Kyrgystan is not explicitly mentioned in the text of the book or TV series and the "13 countries" reference could possibly be a mistake, perhaps because they entered Russia more than once or counted Alaska or Siberia as a separate country. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан) is a country in Central Asia. ... Shymkent (Kazakh: , Russian: ) or Chimkent, is the capital city of Ongtustik Qazaqstan (South Kazakhstan) Province, the most populated region in Kazakhstan. ... Map showing Almatys location in Kazakhstan Almaty Orthodox church Mosque Almaty (Алматы; formerly known as Alma-Ata, also Vernyj, Vyernyi (Верный) in Imperial Russia) is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,185,900 (2004) (8% of the population of Kazakhstan) citizens. ...

The team mainly stayed in hotels while travelling in Europe, North America and populated parts of Russia but frequently had no option but to camp after reaching Kazakhstan and Mongolia. They took time to visit a variety of sights and landmarks while travelling, including the Church of Bones in the Czech Republic, the Mask of Sorrow monument in Magadan, Russia and Mount Rushmore in the USA. They ultimately arrived in New York on schedule and drove into the city accompanied by a phalanx of bikers, including McGregor's father Jim and the Orange County Choppers crew. Left side of altar with bone monstrance Chapel Exterior Chandelier made of bones and skulls Condition in 1990 The Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms The Sedlec Ossuary (Czech: kostnice Sedlec) is a small Christian chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints (Czech: Hřbitovní kostel Všech Svatých... The Mask of Sorrow monument is perched on a hill above Magadan, Russia. ... For the 1960s rock band, see Mount Rushmore (band). ... Orange County Choppers store near Montgomery, New York. ...

Support crew

In addition to McGregor, Boorman and von Planta, the LWR team also had a support crew which comprised producers David Alexanian and Russ Malkin, and cameraman Jim Simak. For the section of the journey through Russia and Asia, they were also accompanied by security advisor Sergey and doctor Vasily. The support crew travelled in two Mitsubishi off-road vehicles — a red L200 Animal LWB 4x4 pick-up and a black Shogun Warrior DI-D automatic estate — and generally followed about a day behind the bikers, meeting up at border crossings and when circumstances dictated a greater degree of teamwork was necessary, such as at the aforementioned river crossings. For information on Mitsubishi brand computer monitors, see NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America Inc. ... 1995 Mitsubishi Mighty Max, the North American version of the L200 The Mitsubishi L200 is a compact pickup truck produced by Mitsubishi Motors. ... Four wheel drive or 4x4, is a type of four wheeled vehicle drivetrain configuration that enables all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously in order to provide maximum traction. ... The Mitsubishi Shogun 2800, as seen in the United Kingdom The Mitsubishi Pajero, known as Mitsubishi Montero in Spanish-speaking countries (North America included), and as Mitsubishi Shogun in the United Kingdom, is an SUV built by the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. ...

Prior to leaving London, McGregor and Boorman received specialist training in a variety of disciplines. Operating within hostile and dangerous environments (e.g. illegal checkpoints and gun-toting locals) was covered by the ex SAS Major, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton. Off-road riding, Russian language and motorbike maintenance were also covered prior to their departure. They also took practical advice from experts and embassy officials about the various countries they were to visit. During the first aid training, McGregor decided they would have to take a doctor with them on the main part of the trip, where they would be far from other medical help. See also Australian Special Air Service Regiment and New Zealand Special Air Service: The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. ... Major A James (Jamie) M Lowther-Pinkerton, MVO MBE Irish Guards (retired), is part-time Private Secretary to Their Royal Highnesses The Princes William and Harry of Wales, in the Office of the Prince of Wales. ... First aid is a series of simple, life-saving medical techniques that a non-doctor or layman can be trained to perform. ...

A small army of researchers, dubbed "Ewan and Charley's Angels", also helped to get the team on the road. Claudio von Planta's mother was called into service to personally deliver a new passport from Switzerland to her son, as Claudio did not have enough space in his passport for all the visas they would need. Claudio also discovered that his Swiss motorbike licence was invalid for several of the countries they would visit and had to take a new test in the UK. The day before departure, he failed his test for failing to check his mirrors while changing direction. He flew out to Prague to join the team after passing at the second attempt. Claudio von Planta (born 16 September 1962) is a Swiss cameraman, director and filmmaker. ...

Bikes

McGregor advocated riding BMW motorcycles, while Boorman preferred KTM, a specialist Austrian moto-cross and off-road bike manufacturer. They had also considered Honda bikes. After off-road tests on the KTM and BMW machines, McGregor acquiesced to Boorman's passion for the KTM. However, after one of their specialist terrain riders met with the LWR team and learned more about their intentions, KTM refused to provide them with their bikes, as the trip seemed too dangerous, or perhaps unlikely to generate the right publicity for KTM. Boorman took the news particularly badly as he had long been desperate to ride a KTM on such a journey. A 1924 BMW R32 at the 2006 BMW MOA international rally in Vermont. ... Kronreif & Trunkenpolz, Mattighofen (KTM) is an Austrian motorcycle manufacturer. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

BMW then contributed three R1150GS Adventure all-terrain motorcycles. The bikes featured a range of modifications to help the team achieve and document their mission. The bikes were also equipped with cameras, microphones and integrated mobile phone systems with display / viewfinder screens mounted on the dashboards. A customized GPS system with specially mapped waypoints in Mongolia and Siberia was crucial in areas with no roads or signposting. The BMW GS series of dual purpose off-road/on-road BMW motorcycles have been produced from 1980 to the present day. ...

The authorities

The first problem with Customs officials came when the team crossed from the Czech Republic into Slovakia. They hadn't stamped their carnet (a document which ensures that expensive items brought into a country have not been sold) when entering the Czech Republic, which could have meant the seizure of their cameras. A fee was paid and the team was allowed to continue with their equipment. A similar problem occurred when crossing into Ukraine. Border guards insisted on original copies of the vehicle registration certificates for the motorbikes, while the team was only carrying photocopies. After around 12 hours, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry contacted the checkpoint and insisted that the team be let through. This information is taken directly from the U.S. governments U.S. Customs and Border Protection web page. ... The Vehicle register in the United Kingdom is a database of motor vehicles. ...

The team had problems of a different nature with the police in Kazakhstan, who often insisted on escorting the team through the country. The journey quickly became local headline news and the police would sometimes bring the team to impromptu welcoming parties, usually featuring television news crews and offerings of fermented milk.

Filming

The on-board cameras used by McGregor and Boorman were designed specifically for the trip by Sonic Communications. Each rider controlled two cameras, the first of which was built into their helmets and provided panoramic views from the front of the bike. The second camera was removable which allowed McGregor and Boorman to hold the cameras or attach them to the front or rear of the bike depending on where they wanted to film. This was especially useful as they could be removed to prevent theft or damage while the bikes were unattended. Ewan and Charley could view what they were filming on a small monitor attached to the handlebars. Claudio von Planta carried more sophisticated camera equipment and often went on ahead or stayed behind the others in order to get the desired shots.

Riding for UNICEF

The journey was also used to bring attention to the humanitarian efforts of UNICEF. During the journey, the team took time out to see and film some of UNICEF's work in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The projects visited included an orphanage housing children affected by the Chernobyl disaster, a climbing wall built at a youth centre and an outreach project working with street children who live in the heating systems of apartment blocks in Ulaanbaatar. UNICEF Flag The United Nations Childrens Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United... Chernobyl reactor number four after the disaster, showing the extensive damage to the main reactor hall (image center) and turbine building (image lower left) The reactor accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, resulting in a severe nuclear meltdown. ... September 2004 Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaatar (Улаанбаатар, [Ulaɣan Baɣatar]) in Mongolian, is the capital of Mongolia. ...

Accidents

The trip was inevitably not without accidents and incidents. Ewan McGregor had petrol sprayed into his (recently laser-corrected) eyes at filling stations on two occasions (one of which required a trip to an optometrist in Ukraine), once when petrol gushed out of his own bike's tank while filling and the other when Boorman attempted to stop a petrol pump by putting his finger over the nozzle, only to send a jet of fuel directly into McGregor's face. McGregor's forehead became badly swollen around a mosquito bite in Kazakhstan (Claudio and Ewan joked that it could be a black widow spider bite) which required treatment and threatened to curtail the adventure.^[1] McGregor also showed his badly bitten rear and revealed that his penis had become swollen and painful during the trip, again due to mosquito bites.^[2] Russ Malkin and Vassili rolled their off-roader in Mongolia and were lucky to escape with minor injuries. Boorman badly strained the muscles in his left shoulder in Siberia and was unable to ride for several days (this occurred while they were unable to cross the rivers and were largely riding on local trucks and with their support crew). McGregor was rear-ended by a very young driver outside Calgary and was lucky that his panniers took the brunt of what could have been a very serious incident had the rear wheel taken the full force of the impact. The following day Boorman was bumped while stationary by a Calgarian who reversed into him at slow speed, fortunately without causing injury or major damage. Cameraman Claudio von Planta suffered the only theft of the trip, when an opportunist thief stole his tent and personal effects which had been briefly left unattended while in Siberia. For other uses, see Mosquito (disambiguation). ... Species Fabricius, 1775 Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935 Walckenaer, 1837 The black widow spider () is a spider notorious for its neurotoxic venom. ... This article is about the Canadian city. ... For the locomotive, see Pannier tank locomotive A pannier is a basket, bag, or similar container, possibly large, and carried either in pairs slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to a bicycle or motorcycle. ...

In the pits

The bikes also took their fair share of punishment. Cameraman von Planta's bike had a broken frame after a bad fall in Mongolia and only a bodge-job (quick, improvised repair) by Boorman using tyre levers and cable-ties enabled them to get the bike to the next town where the frame could be welded. However, after the frame was arc welded, the anti-lock braking system no longer worked and the entire bike had to be shipped to Ulaanbaatar. A replacement was found locally (nicknamed 'The Red Devil'), a new Russian-made red IZh Planeta 5, purchased for US$1000. This bike later broke down and was restarted with help from local passers-by. The frame of McGregor's bike broke in two places in Siberia leaving them no option but to flag down a passing truck which took them back to Tynda for more welding. Manual Metal Arc welding, also known as stick or MMA welding is one of the most common forms of welding. ... An anti-lock braking system (ABS) (translated from German, Antiblockiersystem) is a system on motor vehicles which prevents the wheels from locking while braking. ... IZH (ИЖ) is a weapons manufacturer in Izhevsk, Russia that makes the well known AK-47 Kalashnikov but also have a civilian production of automobiles and motorcycles. ... Tynda (Тында in Russian) is a town in the Amur Oblast in Russia, located on the Tynda River (Amur basin). ...

One of McGregor's greatest fears was drawing water into his engine, and this ultimately afflicted him twice while crossing the Siberian rivers. However, he calmly took the necessary steps to pump out the water from the engine and exhaust and the bike roared back into life. The bikes also sustained various problems after being incorrectly stowed during the flight from Magadan to Anchorage, necessitating a full service when they arrived in Alaska. Boorman suffered the only serious puncture of the trip and all the bikes suffered various other bumps, scrapes and cracks. However, the bikes ultimately survived the journey.

Music

The music in Long Way Round was picked by Ewan & Charley and features tracks from Stereophonics, Orbital, Massive Attack, Radiohead and others. The theme Song 'Long Way Round' was written and performed by Kelly Jones lead singer of Stereophonics, Ewan discussed ideas for the title song with Kelly Jones by text message during the trip. Stereophonics are a rock band from Wales with members Kelly Jones, Richard Jones (no relation to Kelly) and Javier Weyler. ... Orbital was an English techno duo from 1989 until 2004, consisting of brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll. ... Massive Attack are an English trip hop band. ... Radiohead are an English rock band. ... Kelly Jones performs a solo set during the January 2005 Tsunami Relief Cardiff concert This article is about Kelly Jones the singer. ...

DVD

A 2-disc DVD of the journey was released as a mini-series on DVD late in 2005, consisting of seven episodes of about 45 minutes each, totalling around 400 minutes of material. The episodes are unnamed, but cover roughly the following sections of their trip:

• Episode 1: Preparation;
• Episode 2: London to Volgograd;
• Episode 3: Kazakhstan;
• Episode 4: Barnaul to western Mongolia;
• Episode 5: Western Mongolia to Yakutsk;
• Episode 6: Yakutsk to Magadan (the Road of Bones);
• Episode 7: Anchorage to New York

The accompanying bonus disc contains several short features and deleted scenes.

Special edition

Some time later in 2006 a special edition of the DVD was released, extending the series to a total of ten episodes of about 45 minutes over 3 discs (and without the original version's bonus disc), totalling around 540 minutes of material. Differences between the two versions are notably at the beginning (the original version condenses their trip preparation in one episode, the special edition is over two), and at the end (the original version shows their trip from Anchorage through Canada to New York in one episode, the special edition over two); the special edition also dedicates an entire episode to interviews and a look back of the trip one year later. The special edition's episodes are also unnamed, but cover roughly the following sections of their trip:

• Episode 1: Preparation, part 1;
• Episode 2: Preparation, part 2;
• Episode 3: London to Volgograd;
• Episode 4: Kazakhstan;
• Episode 5: Barnaul to western Mongolia;
• Episode 6: Western Mongolia to Yakutsk;
• Episode 7: Yakutsk to Magadan (the Road of Bones);
• Episode 8: Anchorage to Calgary;
• Episode 9: Calgary to New York;
• Episode 10: One year later.

Music selection is also slightly different across the two versions.

Other projects

McGregor, Boorman and the LWR team undertook a second journey known as Long Way Down, riding from John o' Groats in northern Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa in 2007. As with Long Way Round, visiting and raising awareness for UNICEF projects was an important part of the journey.^[3] Boorman competed in the 2006 Dakar Rally, which was filmed and broadcast in various countries as Race To Dakar.^[4] Long Way Down is the title of the latest adventure being undertaken by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. ... John o Groats (Taigh Iain Ghròt in Scottish Gaelic) (grid reference ND380734) is a village in the traditional county of Caithness, in the Highland council area of Scotland, and is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement on the mainland of Great Britain. ... This article is about the country. ... Nickname: Motto: Spes Bona (Latin for Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Coordinates: , Country Province Municipality City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality Founded 1652 Government [1]  - Type City council  - Mayor Helen Zille  - City manager Achmat Ebrahim Area  - Total 2,499 km² (964. ... For information about the 2007 Dakar Rally, see 2007 Dakar Rally. ... Race To Dakar is a documentary television series, book and DVD set, documenting Charley Boormans entry into the 2006 Lisbon-Dakar Rally. ...

Inspiration

McGregor and Boorman were inspired by legendary motorcyclist Ted Simon's book "Jupiter's Travels". They met up with Ted in Mongolia. Ted Simon is a British journalist born in Germany. ...

References

• "Long Way Round" (DVD), Elixir Productions / Image Wizard Media, 2004. ASIN: B000B5KEEQ
• "Long Way Round" (book), Time Warner Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0-7515-3680-6

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ... The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International which is in turn owned by News Corporation. ... News Limited was the principal holding for the business interests of Rupert Murdoch until the formation of News Corporation in 1979. ...

External links

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Long Way Round

• LongWayRound.com — official website.
• SkyOne.co.uk — official website for UK broadcaster.