World
Ewan McGregor in awe of Scotland fan’s journey to Euros in camper van
Scottish actor Ewan McGregor was in awe of a Scotland fan’s journey from Falkirk to Germany – in a 58-year-old camper van.
The Trainspotting and Star Wars actor bumped into Tartan Army diehard John McIntosh on his mega journey in the Volkswagen camper van when he boarded an overnight ferry in Amsterdam.
The Scotland fan described the moment the 53-year-old, on a motorcycle with TV presenter Charley Boorman, waved him over after spotting the van decked out in Scotland flags and colours.
He snapped a video with the actor in which McGregor said: “Alright Scotland, good luck at the Euros. Woo hoo. Look out for Elvis here.”
John told STV News: “I set off on Friday and got the ferry on the same night, arriving in Amsterdam on Saturday morning.
“I got off and was going through passport control and there was two guys, motorcyclists in front of me, both decked out in helmets and goggles.
“He was gesturing to me to come and speak to him. He took his goggles off and I’m looking at it him going: ‘That’s f****** Ewan McGregor.
“I drove over and he was more surprised to see the van than I was to see him. He was like ‘Wow, what is this? This is incredible’.
“We had good craic. He’s a really nice guy, same as Charly Boorman – an absolute gentleman.
“He wished us all the best and he was a gem of a guy.”
The Tartan Army loyal, who plans to watch all three group games in Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart, said the van previously called ‘Elvis’ was the perfect mode of transport to the Euros.
He did, however, admit to briefly losing its location in Amsterdam after meeting up with a stag do due to his phone battery running out which had the Google Maps location on it.
On the journey, he added: “I previously drove to Ibiza in 2009 in the van, it was an epic journey.
“I’ve been waiting on the occasion to do it again.
“The minute we qualified and we knew it was Germany, I was sitting in my garden and I couldn’t think of a reason why not to do it.”
He re-named the van from Elvis to Sloop John B Express, paying tribute to former Scotland international John Blackly, a friend of John’s, who played at the 1974 World Cup in a 2-0 win over Zaire.
He added: “It’s all good fun, we’re here to enjoy ourselves and there’s not been any trouble.
“Everyone has been so nice and welcoming.”
Steve Clarke’s side will kick off the tournament against hosts Germany on Friday, live on STV and the STV Player.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country