Stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill reveals hopes of buying a farm to convert into a new filmmaking hub

Scottish stunt cyclist superstar Danny MacAskill has revealed he is hunting for a farm to take over in the Scottish countryside to convert into a new filmmaking hub.

The YouTube sensation has revealed he is scouring Scotland for potential sites surrounded by dramatic landscapes to convert into a permanent base for creating groundbreaking new films.

The star, who shot to fame with a video made on the streets of in Edinburgh in 2009, is looking for a farmhouse with several outbuildings which could be converted into new studio facilities for MacAskill to collaborate with other riders and filmmakers in future.

Skye-born MacAskill suggested he was likely to scale back his international travelling in future and was interested in trying to live off the land, and even breed goats and alpacas.

MacAskill has been living with close friends and collaborators for extended periods in Aviemore and Wales during the last year, and is now based temporarily in Inverness.

But he is looking for somewhere to put down permanent roots and run a new filmmaking business from after his international projects had to be shelved during the pandemic.

He ended up making a brand new film on his native Skye, showing him riding down steep slabs of rock on the Dubh mountain range, which has been nearly three million times since it was launched in January.

A new film made in Blackpool and Shropshire was launched last week, while a third, shot in the north-west Highlands, is expected to be unveiled later this year.

MacAskill said: “I would say I’ve definitely made the most of the last year. Like everybody says, it’s really made me reflect on what you enjoy in life.

“You can easily get swept up in how things are and how you have to travel all over the place, and are constantly on the go to the next thing. It makes you question the lifestyle you were leading before, getting onto planes going all over the place.

“The last year has really made me want to try to get a place of my own in the country and make more stuff on my own doorstep.

“It’s nice to travel a lot, but I feel I can be more productive at home. It’s about extending my career, but it's also about having space to enjoy what I’m doing. It would be cool to be in Scotland, be close to all my friends and maybe do a bit of living off the land.

Picture: Dave Mackison/Red Bull

“We’re renting a place in Inverness at the moment. I knew the mountain biking was good up here, but I didn’t realise just how good it was. There’s been a really high level of trail building going on for around 20 years. It’s been amazing.”

MacAskill, who has filmed videos in Cape Town, Taiwan, Argentina and Gran Canaria, is best known for The Ridge, filmed on Skye in 2014. Wee Day Out, released in 2016, saw farms, estates, forests, riverbanks and railways deployed to film an array of stunts.

MacAskill added: “I feel that if I have my own land and complete creative freedom to do what I want that I could take my riding on to a different level.

“I’m looking for somewhere at the moment between Inverness, Perthshire, Stirlingshire and the Borders. I’d love to buy a small farm with some outbuildings which I could use for either making films or learning new tricks.

Wee Day Out - Credit Dave Mackison & Red Bull DANNY MACASKILL

“It would need to have a good few acres of open land, ideally near woodland and some decent sized hills that I could get up on my e-bike. The right place would lure me there. If anybody is thinking about selling up I’d love to hear from them.”

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