Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman update on the Long Way Down trip

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman checked in on day 34 of their epic ride to Capetown in the middle of a desert in the Sudan.

Still with 8,500 miles left to travel the globetrotting duo took time to speak to Radio One presenter Chris Moyles for an update on their adventures.

Boorman said: “The heat in the desert is unbelievable – it was up to 47 degrees yesterday, pretty hot. We’re wearing rally suits that lets the air in but we’re drinking 8 litres of water so it’s like a big sauna inside; sweaty and everything.

Boorman told Moyles that what he misses more than anything when he’s on the road is Starbucks coffee.

The pair have been travelling down roads that Boorman describes as a “washboard” because of the tracks left by the heavy lorries. However, it’s McGregor who has found going the toughest, he said: “I’ve come off more than anybody – I’m the team crasher. People who ride 250 dirt bikes fall off and they’re easy to pick up but we’ve got huge bikes covered in stuff. We did try to bring less this but they still weigh a lot.”

McGregor confessed that riding in the sand is a pet hate of his, he said: “The front wheel wiggles around. Yesterday, we were going through walled streets with people all around in deep sand – I hate it.”

So far the bikes are holding up with the only damage being knocks to the panniers that can be hammered out and a few broken foglights. For more information as it happens visit www.longwaydown.com.