Home · World · Oct 14 archive
Karl Bushby Completes 28-Year Walk Around the World
Confirmed
In Short: On Tuesday, British adventurer Karl Bushby announced that he had completed the final major hurdle of his journey by swimming from France to the UK, marking the end of his 28-year walk around the world.
On Tuesday, British adventurer Karl Bushby announced that he had completed the final major hurdle of his journey by swimming from France to the UK, marking the end of his 28-year walk around the world.
According to the BBC (United Kingdom), Bushby swam for 20 hours over three days, making landfall at Shakespeare beach, just south of Dover, at 15:30 BST on Monday. Karen Mee, who accompanied Bushby on the swim, said it was a 'surreal' experience.
Bushby, now 57, left Chile, South America, on November 1, 1998, adhering to two self-imposed rules: not to use any form of transport and not to return home until the journey was complete.
The BBC (United Kingdom) reported that Bushby has covered more than 30,000 miles (48,000km), traversing 29 countries. He walked the length of South America, crossed the Darien Gap, and continued north to Alaska, before swimming across the Caspian Sea, which took 31 days.
Turkiyetoday (Türkiye) noted that Bushby successfully crossed the Darien Gap, a treacherous 200-mile stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama, described as a warzone.
Bushby's journey, known as the Goliath Expedition, has been marked by significant challenges, including a ban from Russia in 2012, which paused his expedition for several years. In 2014, the ban was lifted, and he resumed his journey.
Both the BBC (United Kingdom) and Turkiyetoday (Türkiye) reported that Bushby has covered over 47,000 kilometers (29,204.4 miles) on foot or by swimming, crossing some of the most dangerous and remote terrains on Earth.
Upon landing in Dover, Bushby expressed his joy at seeing the Union Jack flying outside his hotel. 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 still has about 250 miles to walk from Dover to his mother Angela’s home near Hull, where the expedition is expected to end. He has documented his journey for a feature-length film, 'Walk of Life,' directed by filmmaker Werner Herzog.
While the BBC (United Kingdom) and Turkiyetoday (Türkiye) reported different details about the length of his journey and the number of countries he crossed, they both agreed that Bushby has completed an extraordinary 28-year walk around the world.
The BBC (United Kingdom) and Turkiyetoday (Türkiye) both highlighted the challenges Bushby faced, including bureaucratic hurdles, pandemics, visa restrictions, and financial difficulties, but they also emphasized the kindness and hospitality he encountered along the way.
What this adds
The BBC (United Kingdom) and Turkiyetoday (Türkiye) provided differing figures on the total distance Bushby covered, but both agreed on the overall scope and duration of his expedition.
What's confirmed
- In April 2012, Russia denied his next visa, pausing his expedition.
- On Nov. 1, 1998, the ex-paratrooper started his journey in Chile, with only a few hundred dollars in his pocket "South America, you were young, it was all new, it was the boys adventure dream," Bushby said.
What's still developing
- HM Coastguard said it "liaised with French authorities and maritime sector partners to ensure safety protocols were met".
- In March 2006, he achieved a significant milestone by crossing the Bering Strait on foot with French adventurer Dimitri Kieffer.
- In 2014, the ban was lifted, and he once again found himself in Russia.
- BANFF – Climbing, swimming and crawling his way through a soup of frozen slush, frostbite is at hand, help is hours away and the horizon is nothing but ice-clogged sea in Karl Bushby ’s eyes.
- A ban from Russia, plenty of bureaucracy, denied visas and deportations later, 11 years passed before Bushby would be allowed back into the country where he “inched” his way across, continuing his walk into Kazakhstan and central Asia.
- “It would take me 10 days to go the distance it would take me one day on the road to get through that jungle,” he said.
- 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.
- “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 said in a post cited by his social media page.
- "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."
- Bushby had hoped to use the Channel Tunnel service passage on foot, but that request was denied over safety and maintenance concerns.