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British Adventurer Karl Bushby Returns Home After 28-Year Walk Around the World
Confirmed
In Short: Karl Bushby, a British adventurer, has returned to the UK after a 28-year journey to walk around the world.
British adventurer Karl Bushby has finally returned to the UK after a 28-year journey to walk around the world, marking the end of an extraordinary expedition.
Bushby began his journey in Chile on November 1, 1998, with only a few hundred dollars in his pocket. He has since covered more than 30,000 miles across 29 countries.
While resting in Dover, Bushby expressed his excitement about seeing the Union Jack flying outside his hotel. He said, 'I’ve seen many flags over the days, but that one is special.'
Bushby's journey was not without obstacles. In April 2012, Russia denied him a visa, which paused his expedition. He later crossed the Bering Strait on foot in 2006, becoming the first person to do so.
Bushby's expedition has been marked by the kindness of strangers and the support of local communities. He said, 'The world is an incredible place, and it’s the people, the strangers that I have met along the way, that have kept me upright and moving forward.'
Bushby's journey has also been a testament to human capability. He said, 'You’ll find that you are way more capable than you think you are, people always underestimate themselves. The world always looks bigger and scarier than it actually is.'
Bushby is nearing the end of his journey and hopes to reach his mother’s home in Hull by the end of the month. He is currently in Kocaeli, Türkiye, just a few days away from Istanbul.
Bushby’s next challenge is securing permission to cross the Bosphorus, either by swimming or on foot, which will be the final major hurdle before reaching Europe and eventually home.
Bushby’s journey began as a protest, walking in the wrong direction to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and later north to the United States, waiting for the Bering Strait to freeze to cross from Alaska into Russia.
Bushby’s family visited him occasionally throughout the journey, and he said, 'It’s been hard being away. And the U.K. has changed so much—I left when Tony Blair was Prime Minister. Since then, we’ve had five or more PMs. I might not even recognize home when I get there.'
What's confirmed
- British adventurer Karl Bushby has finally returned to the UK after a 28-year journey to walk around the world, marking the end of an extraordinary expedition.
- Bushby began his journey in Chile on November 1, 1998, with only a few hundred dollars in his pocket. He has since covered more than 30,000 miles across 29 countries.
- Bushby's journey was not without obstacles. In April 2012, Russia denied him a visa, which paused his expedition. He later crossed the Bering Strait on foot in 2006, becoming the first person to do so.
- Bushby is nearing the end of his journey and hopes to reach his mother’s home in Hull by the end of the month. He is currently in Kocaeli, Türkiye, just a few days away from Istanbul.
- Bushby’s next challenge is securing permission to cross the Bosphorus, either by swimming or on foot, which will be the final major hurdle before reaching Europe and eventually home.
- Bushby’s journey began as a protest, walking in the wrong direction to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and later north to the United States, waiting for the Bering Strait to freeze to cross from Alaska into Russia.
What's still developing
- "We went at a reasonable pace, we did what we needed to do and it has worked. I know it’s time to stop, I know that much because I feel that in the knees and ankles."
- According to his website, he received a birthday card in the 1990s from his father about two soldiers arguing over an impossible feat, walking from London to New York via the Bering Strait.
- Spending his early years as a British paratrooper, lines across maps started to lure Bushby.
- At this point, in 2006, the British adventurer is eight years into his Goliath Expedition, a mission to walk around the entire world, but here, in the frigid grip of the Bering Strait – one of three “gaps” to cross during the trek — the journey seems to hang by a thread.
- British adventurer Karl Bushby has stepped back onto U.K. soil after a 28-year attempt to walk around the world, and on Oct. 5 he announced on social media that he swam the English Channel from France to England.
- While resting in Dover, Bushby wrote that he was “staring at the Union Jack” outside his hotel and posted photos of one of his first meals back — traditional British fish and chips, according to his social media posts.
- "After this, just one year remains. I've come 26 years, and now I'm so close I can almost see the finish line."
- "Other travelers told me Türkiye would be one of the most beautiful and welcoming places. And they were absolutely right. People constantly invited me into their homes, offered food, and were incredibly kind. The hospitality has been amazing."
- "I'm not a swimmer by profession, but with the help of the Azerbaijani coast guard and a small team, we reached Baku by water," said Bushby.
- "Everywhere I've been, people have wanted to help—they wanted to see me succeed and reach my destination."
- "It was the first verified crossing of its kind. It got us into Asia, and the journey continued from there," he explained.
- "I started walking from the southern tip of South America in 1998, aiming to reach my home in the U.K. It's been a journey defined by walking—no planes, no boats, no cars. Just my own two feet and, swimming across bodies of water."