BRITISH ADVENTURER COMPLETES 28-YEAR WALK AROUND THE WORLD, RETURNS HOME
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A British adventurer, Karl Bushby, has returned to his childhood home in Hull, northern England, after completing a 28-year journey around the world on foot, covering approximately 50,000 kilometres.
Bushby, 57, was welcomed by his mother, Angela, outside her terraced house on Monday, November 2, 2026, beneath a banner bearing the words, “Welcome Home Son”.
Hundreds of supporters gathered in the city centre to celebrate his return before he completed the final stretch of his journey to his mother’s home.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he joked to the cheering crowd. “Is that it, is it done?”
Bushby began the expedition, known as the Goliath Expedition, in November 1998 in Punta Arenas, southern Chile. His aim was to travel around the world and return to his hometown without using any form of motorised transport to advance his journey.
Armed with a tent, a few hundred dollars and a plastic camera, he initially estimated that the expedition would take about 12 years.
His route took him north through the Americas before he crossed the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska into Russia. He subsequently travelled through Mongolia and China, swam across the Caspian Sea and continued towards Europe.
The expedition also involved navigating the dense Darien Gap jungle between Colombia and Panama, crossing international borders and overcoming visa restrictions.
However, Bushby’s progress was interrupted by several challenges, including detention after entering Russia, funding difficulties and the 2008 global financial crisis, which cost him major sponsors.
These setbacks extended the journey far beyond his initial 12-year estimate.
In the final stages of the expedition, he swam across the English Channel last month, overcoming one of the remaining major obstacles before walking the final distance to Hull.
Speaking after his arrival, Bushby acknowledged the support he received from individuals and organisations across different countries.
“They say it takes a village, but literally it took a world to get me here,” he said.
“The kindness of strangers, so many, from individuals to nation-states, to get me back here today. I didn’t do this alone. There was a big team. The biggest team. Earth.”
A feature-length documentary about the expedition is currently in production, while Bushby is expected to embark on a speaking tour across England in the coming weeks.
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