British adventurer Karl Bushby completed his 28-year expedition on November 2, 2026, arriving at his mother Angela’s home in Hull. The 57-year-old former paratrooper had traveled 50,000 kilometers across four continents from Punta Arenas, Chile, where he set out in November 1998. His homecoming reunited him with family, including a 12-year-old granddaughter he had never met.
Originally conceived as a 12-year undertaking, the Goliath Expedition followed two self-imposed rules: no transport could advance his progress, and he had to return home on foot. The idea grew from a birthday card in which his father described a discussion about whether walking between London and New York was possible.
Extreme terrain, border restrictions, and the pandemic repeatedly interrupted his progress. Russia alone took almost a decade to traverse because visa difficulties and seasonal conditions restricted travel. When geopolitical obstacles blocked routes through Russia and Iran, he spent 31 days crossing the Caspian Sea by swimming and floating with a wetsuit and flotation vest.
Bushby swam across the English Channel in early October before completing his route through northeastern England. Up to 1,000 people welcomed him in central Hull, where he acknowledged the extensive support that had sustained the journey. Strangers provided food and shelter, and a Peruvian doctor’s family helped him recover from a serious stomach infection.
Filmmaker Werner Herzog accompanied the homecoming with a crew for the documentary “Walk of Life.” Before returning, Bushby had expressed some apprehension about adjusting to ordinary life in Britain.
