McGregor runs into bother with militia

He may be among the best known movie actors in the world, but that cut no ice when he tried to ride into the Ukraine. The BMW R1200GS-riding star was held up by armed guards, along with his round-the-world buddy Charley Boorman.

They didn’t recognise the Star Wars actor and he was only released when a local businessman spotted who he and Boorman were and persuaded the guards to let them go.

The businessman then took them back to his home where they spent the night on the floor in sleeping bags.

Boorman and McGregor are riding 20,000 miles around the world on a trip which is being filmed as a documentary.

In Russia, welcoming locals have offered seas of vodka in evening stop-overs but, according to reports, Ewan has been sticking with Coca-Cola. Hangovers aren’t welcome on a trip this tough. McGregor and Boorman have also been made ‘honorary miners’ in a Russian mining town and stayed with locals, doing their share of the household-chores as they go. They’ve been treated to Cossack parades and more.

Their welcome in Kazakhstan involved fried pastries and fermented horse milk. They are now spending two weeks travelling through Kazakhstan and aim to visit Atyrau, Aktyubinsk, Kyzyl-Orda, South Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions.

According to reports in the Kazakh press the duo have been doing ” 120 miles per hour ” and McGregor has, diplomatically, described the roads as ” interesting. ”

Other updates will be added to the official website for the journey, which you’ll find at: www.longwayround.com