He has braved the Siberian tundra, cooked in the African desert and spent time in a galaxy far, far away only to confirm the maxim: there is no place like home. Ewan McGregor, has chosen Camusdarach beach near Arisaig, as his favourite spot on earth.
After completing two round-the-world trips by motorbike in recent years, McGregor is planning a holiday at home in Scotland, which will include a visit to the beach where he played as a child. When asked in the latest edition of Travel magazine to name his favourite spot in the world, he said: “It has to be Camusdarach beach, near Arisaig in the Highlands. We used to camp there when I was a kid.”
The choice may come as a surprise given his extensive travels. McGregor, for the TV series Long Way Down, motorbiked with friend Charley Boorman 15,000 miles from John o’ Groats to Cape Town.
Four years ago, the pair made headlines when they undertook a 20,000-mile bike run, which took them to eastern Europe, Mongolia, Siberia and Alaska before completing their epic adventure in New York.
The success of Local Hero means the beach is also known as Ben’s beach, after the character in the film who lived on it, yet it is also famous for its stunning sunsets and was last year rated one of the top ten beaches in Britain. The spot was also used for an episode of Hamish Macbeth, when in No Man is an Island Hamish sails to an island where he meets Belle Carter on the beach.
Angela Simpson, owner of Camusdarach Campsite, said she was not surprised that the actor had chosen the beach. “It is a very special place for many people. At the moment, it is breathtaking. It’s hot, the sky is bright blue, the dunes are covered in golden gorse, the bluebells are out and there lambs everywhere. It’s just tremendous.”
