Karl Bushby returns to Hull after 28-year journey from Chile
Up to 1,000 people welcomed the British adventurer after a 50,000-kilometre expedition across four continents.
British adventurer Karl Bushby has reached his home city of Hull, completing a journey from Chile that lasted 28 years. His 50,000-kilometre route covered four continents under a self-imposed rule against using transport to advance.
A crowd numbering up to 1,000 gathered in central Hull to greet him. Bushby thanked those who had helped him overcome obstacles throughout the expedition, stressing that its completion depended on support from people around the world.
The former British paratrooper had expected the trip, which he named the Goliath Expedition, to take 12 years. Visa restrictions, difficult weather and the pandemic prolonged it. Getting through Russia alone took almost 10 years, while limits on visits in Europe meant travelling in three-month stages.
His route included the Darién Gap and a Bering Strait crossing with American adventurer Dimitry Kieffer in 2006. With routes through Russia and Iran closed by geopolitical problems, Bushby spent 31 days swimming across the Caspian Sea. He reached Britain by swimming the English Channel in early October.
Bushby crossed the Humber Bridge before entering Hull. German filmmaker Werner Herzog and a crew are accompanying his homecoming for a feature-length documentary called “Walk of Life”. Bushby was also due to reunite with his mother, son and a 12-year-old granddaughter he had never met.
