Hull-born round-world walker Karl Bushby at his homecoming celebration. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
What she actually asked on November 2, 2026, was shorter. Karl Bushby, a 57-year-old former paratrooper, had just finished a 28-year journey from Punta Arenas, Chile, to the Hull house where he grew up. Bushby covered about 31,000 miles across four continents and 30 countries, walking most of the route and swimming the major water crossings, according to The Associated Press. Bushby left Punta Arenas in November 1998, hoping to finish in 12 years The Goliath Expedition started on November 1, 1998. He estimated that his journey would last 12 years, according to the BBC. Bushby crossed the Darien Gap, the dense jungle that separates Panama and Colombia, between 2000 and 2001, according to NPR. NPR reported that in 2006, he crossed the frozen Bering Strait separating Alaska and Russia and indicated that it took him 14 days. Detentions, visa trouble and the 2008 financial crisis stretched 12 years into 28 BBC reported that his mother has seen him on only three occasions since 1998, the last about a decade ago. The AP also reported that he reunited with his son, Adam, who is 36 and whom he had rarely seen. He also met his 12-year-old granddaughter for the first time.
Because other means of reaching Europe by land were closed, later in 2024, he swam across the Caspian Sea. AP reported that when Angela saw him, she asked, “Where have you been? AFP reported that Werner Herzog is making a documentary about the trek and the six speaking engagements scheduled over the next two months.
Ahead of his return, she told the BBC it would be a mock telling-off about the time. Bushby took a tent, a few hundred dollars and a cheap plastic camera, according to an Associated Press report published by ABC News. Angela Bushby had spent years thinking about what she would say when her son finally came through her gate. NPR indicated that he set two rules for himself: there would be no means of transport for advancing further and that he would not return to England until he got there on foot. The path included crossing the Darien Gap, the Bering Strait and the Caspian Sea. He described it as the “crux of the entire journey. Al Jazeera further added that his journey also led him through Mongolia and China. One such occasion was prior to the Bering crossing, where he had requested that they travel all the way to Alaska. The line she had rehearsed for the BBC was “… and what time do you call this, Karl? At the finish, Al Jazeera quoted Bushby crediting a team that he called “The biggest team. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Earth. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
Bushby crossed the Bering Strait in 2006 together with fellow adventurer Dimitri Kieffer, according to the AP. Bushby crossed the English Channel in October 2026 The final obstacle in the way of his journey was the English Channel. Bushby swam across it after he was refused permission to walk through the Channel Tunnel, which put him on British territory again after 28 years, according to NPR. His mother embraced him outside her Hull home on November 2, 2026 Hull City Council had asked the residents to join him in celebrating his return by meeting in Queen Victoria Square.
Because he had entered the restricted territory, earlier in 2001, in Panama, Bushby reportedly spent 18 days in prison. Bushby lost a sponsor due to the financial crisis of 2007 to 2008 and in 2012, he was not allowed to enter Russia with a visa, according to NPR.
The coronavirus pandemic added another delay: Bushby was stuck at the Iran border without a visa and had retreated to Mexico, according to Explorerweb. His father, Keith, welcomed him on Dover Beach, according to the AP. He took his cart all the way to the City Hall, where many were there to greet him, before continuing with the last leg of the journey back to his mother’s home, according to AP News. There was a welcoming banner hanging right outside his mother’s house and according to AP, he embraced his crying mother amidst the cameras.
After entering Russia illegally, the two were jailed and threatened with deportation. In addition to this, money and paperwork issues led to a long delay. Then Bushby continued his journey on foot towards the north of England. Decorations around Newtondale at the homecoming of Hull-born round-world walker Karl Bushby. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
