HULL, ENGLAND — Karl Bushby, an English former soldier who left home in 1998, has finally finished his walk around the world and returned to his mother’s home in Hull. Over 28 years, he covered about 36,000 miles on foot across several continents. Along the way he nearly drowned, was almost eaten, and was robbed, deported and held at gunpoint. After swimming the English Channel, he walked the last stretch to Hull and hugged his mother.
From Punta Arenas to Hull With No Motorized Transport
What became known as the Goliath Expedition began in November 1998 in Punta Arenas, Chile. Bushby’s plan was simple on paper: walk all the way home to Hull, England.
His key rule was that no motorized transport could move him forward. Whenever he was deported or had to renew his passport and visas, he had to come back to the exact spot where he stopped and carry on walking from there.
Jail in Panama and a Ban From Russia
The trip was meant to take 12 years. Bushby walked through Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia before crossing the Darién Gap, a dense jungle known for jaguars, snakes and armed groups. He was then jailed in Panama for 18 days, the first of many setbacks.
In 2005, he crossed the Bering Strait into Russia, where border guards detained him and he was banned from the country. An appeal overturned the ban, but his sponsor funding later ran out, and he spent several years living in Mexico until he had new funds and a new visa.
Mongolia, China and the Final Push Across Europe
Bushby went back to Russia and entered Mongolia in 2017. In China, authorities stopped him but let him continue under police supervision. He then passed through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan.
His European stretch took him through Romania, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia. Visa problems sent him back to Mexico for a short time before he returned, walked through Belgium, and swam the English Channel to get home.
Emotional Homecoming Outside His Mother’s House
Bushby’s arrival made headlines across England. His mother, Angela, waited outside her house under a “Welcome Home Son” banner, and the moment they reunited was watched by crowds of well-wishers and media.
The walker, who shares updates on TikTok, could have flown home at any time during his setbacks, but he refused to break the rule he set in 1998. When he set out from Chile, he had no idea where the road would take him, but he finished the walk exactly as he planned.
Stay with bccolonels.com for the latest news and local coverage.