24 Hours: Mark Beaumont Rides the HebWay

The brief

We were commissioned by Rural Dimensions to film Mark Beaumont attempting the Hebridean Way in 24 hours. The Hebridean Way is a 185-mile long-distance cycling route running the full length of the Outer Hebrides from Vatersay in the south to the Butt of Lewis in the north. The film was made possible by Outer Hebrides Tourism and CalMac Ferries.

The challenge for the film was capturing a single, sustained athletic effort across a remote and logistically complex landscape, under time pressure and in conditions that could not be controlled or predicted.

The approach

A 24-hour challenge demands a production that can move and adapt as quickly as the athlete. We operated as a small, self-sufficient crew: able to get ahead of Mark on the road, position at key geographic moments, and capture the full range of the Hebridean landscape from the machair of the Western Isles to the exposed headlands of Lewis.

Drone footage was used to establish the epic scale of the route — the relationship between the long straight causeways, the Atlantic coastline and the distinctive light of the Outer Hebrides at different times of day and night. Ground-level footage focused on Mark's physical state and the human drama of a deteriorating situation that the athlete had to push through regardless.

The film was shot over the full 24-hour period and edited into a piece that communicated both the athletic achievement and the beauty of the destination. Thanks to Kieran Duncan and Euan Ryan for their assistance with filming and graphics.

The outcome

The film became a flagship marketing asset for Outer Hebrides Tourism, combining the credibility of Mark Beaumont's profile with authentic destination footage that no standard tourism production could replicate. It demonstrated the Outer Hebrides as a world-class cycling destination while carrying the emotional weight of a genuine human challenge.