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Karl Bushby

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Karl Bushby
Bushby in South America 1998-1999
Born (1969-03-30) 30 March 1969 (age 57)
Hull, England
OccupationsParatrooper (formerly), author
Known forAttempting an unbroken journey across the world without any motorised transportation from Chile to England
Websitekarlbushby.world

Karl Bushby (born 30 March 1969) is an English walking adventurer and author.

In November 1998, he set off on the Goliath Expedition from the southern tip of Chile with the intention of walking an unbroken path back to his home town in England without any form of motorised transportation, becoming the first person in history to achieve such a feat.

He reached England in October 2026 after 28 years. Bushby is expected to reach his home town of Hull in November 2026.

Early and personal life

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Bushby was born on 30 March 1969, in Hull, Yorkshire, England. The family lives in the Sutton Park area of Hull.[1] He was bullied at school for having severe dyslexia, diagnosed at 13 years old, later describing the experience as "hell", and finding solace in the outdoors through birdwatching near his home.[2] Bushby attended a local comprehensive school and joined the British Army at the age of 16. Bushby served with the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment for 11 years. He originally intended to continue serving as a soldier for the first three years of his expedition, using his signing bonus to fund his expedition, and he initially received the Army's approval to do so. The Army cancelled this offer at the last minute, forcing Bushby to raise money for the journey himself.[3]: 6 

While serving as a soldier in Operation Banner in Northern Ireland in the early 1990s, Bushby met and married a woman from Belfast named Angela.[3]: 110–111  They had one child, Adam, before divorcing in 1995. Since beginning the Goliath Expedition, Bushby has rarely seen his son, although Adam joined him briefly for part of his protest walk across the United States in 2014.[4]

Bushby met his next partner, Catalina Estrada, while travelling in Medellín, Colombia, in 2000.[3]: 125–130  He faced difficulties bringing Estrada with him on the later parts of his journey, particularly while travelling through Canada in 2003.[5] By 2011, Bushby and Estrada had broken up; Bushby later said that "you can't have a relationship on the road."[4]

Goliath Expedition

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The planned route for the expedition

The Goliath Expedition is Bushby's attempt to walk around the world "with unbroken footsteps", from the southern tip of South America to his home in Hull, England. He left Hull on 5 October 1998 and originally expected to finish the trek of 36,000-mile (58,000 km) in 12 years.[6] Due to numerous delays, the expedition lasted approximately 28 years.[1][7][8]

South and Central America

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On 1 November 1998, Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, Chile. His route through South America took him through Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Entering Central America required Bushby to cross the inhospitable Darién Gap. Many locals expected him to be killed or abducted by the paramilitary Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which viewed all foreigners as potentially part of the U.S.-backed Plan Colombia initiative. Bushby successfully evaded FARC guerillas and entered Panama in February 2001, although he spent 18 days in a jail in Metetí for entering the country without a visa.[3]

North America

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On 29 April 2002, Bushby left Mexico and entered the United States at Nogales, Arizona.[9] Upon reaching Las Vegas in July, Bushby was told that his 90-day visa had expired and could not be renewed while he was in the United States. He thus flew back to Bogotá to apply for a six-month visa,[10] returning to Las Vegas to resume the walk when his visa was approved in August.[11]

On New Year's Day 2003, a day away from crossing into Canada, Bushby's trailer was stolen while he was visiting a bar in Toole County, Montana. He spent the next month replacing the items that were lost, only for the stolen trailer to be found in a quarry just before he was ready to depart the United States.[12]

Russia

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By 2006, he had completed over 17,000 miles (27,000 km), walking across the length of South, Central, and North America.[13] Bushby intended to set out from Fairbanks, Alaska, and cross the frozen Bering Strait during the winter of 2005 but made it only as far as Unalakleet before spring began and his U.S. visa expired once again.[3]: 312–313  Between 17 and 31 March 2006,[14][15] Bushby and French adventurer Dimitri Kieffer successfully crossed the Bering Strait on foot, having to take a roundabout 14-day route across a frozen 150-mile (240 km) section to cross the 58-mile (93 km) wide strait from Alaska to Siberia.[16] They were detained by Russian border troop officers while they were crossing the Russian border near the Chukotkan village of Uelen, for not entering Russia at a correct port of entry. They were threatened with being banned from Russia, which would stop the journey.[17] It was announced on 5 May 2006 that the Russian appeal court had upheld Bushby's application and his walk would continue.[18] This was reported to be the result of consultation between John Prescott, then-deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, and MP for Bushby's home town of Hull, and Roman Abramovich, the then-governor of Chukotka.[19]

From late 2008 to 2010, Bushby spent his time in Mexico for cost reasons and was unable to travel to Russia. This was both because of difficulty getting a visa and permits, and because of financial trouble; Bushby lost several of his sponsors due to the 2008 financial crisis.[20] After Bushby secured new sponsors in 2010, the Russian government issued him another visa, and he resumed walking across Russia in the spring of 2011.[20]

In addition to the 90-day time restraint imposed by Russian visas, Bushby was hampered by the tundra conditions. Because his route took him through an area that can only be travelled on foot via frozen rivers and ice roads, he could only walk during the late winter and early spring.[21] On 25 April 2011, after walking approximately 680 miles (1,100 km), Bushby reached the town of Srednekolymsk, completing his leg for 2011.[20] Beginning his 2012 leg, he only needed to travel an additional 560 miles (900 km) before reaching improved roads, meaning his travel would only be limited by the Russian visa rules. On 12 April 2012, Bushby reported on his site that the Russian authorities had denied him a visa for 2012.[20]

In March 2013, Russia banned Bushby from re-entering Russia for five years, citing a border violation from the previous year.[22] Bushby walked over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) in the US from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. His destination was the Russian Embassy.[4][23] On 23 October 2014, Bushby's visa ban was overturned,[24] and he was granted a letter of invitation from the Russian government.

Central Asia

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Bushby crossed the Russia–Mongolia border in 2017, and on 8 August 2017 he was in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.[25][26] After entering China in 2018, Bushby travelled through the Xinjiang region. His progress was temporarily restricted by local authorities, and following intervention by the British Embassy he was allowed to continue under restrictions and police escort. He subsequently entered Kazakhstan and continued his journey westward.[27] Bushby crossed into Uzbekistan early in June 2019, reaching the border between Turkmenistan and Iran a few months later, where the journey was on pause due to visa issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.[28]

In August 2024, Bushby started the swim across the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan, planning to finish in Azerbaijan to avoid going through Iran or Russia, as both countries were then too dangerous to enter with a British passport. Bushby was accompanied by co-swimmer Angela Maxwell and two Azerbaijani national swimmers, Anastasia Boborykina and Abdurrahman Rustamov.[29] Each day, Bushby and company swam in two 3-hour sessions: one in the morning, one in the afternoon and resting and sleeping on support boats each night.[30] The swim covering 179 miles (288 km) was achieved in 31 days with 132 swimming hours.[31][32] From Azerbaijan, Bushby then went to Turkey to cross the Bosphorus Strait into Europe.

In June 2025, Bushby was in Armenia waiting for a visa to enter Turkey to complete his challenge. At that time, he hoped to continue his trek in August 2025 and estimated he would return home to Hull by 2026.[33]

Europe

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In September 2025, Bushby finished crossing Turkey and entered Bulgaria, entering the Schengen Area.[34] In October 2025, he had entered Romania and was 1,375 miles (2,213 km) from the United Kingdom.[35] On 15 November 2025, he arrived in Budapest, Hungary, and planned to head to Vienna, Austria.[36] In December 2025, he was reported to be in Slovakia.[37] Due to Schengen visa restrictions (caused by Brexit) limiting his stay to 90 days within a 180-day period, he was required to leave the Schengen Area. By January 2026, he was temporarily in Mexico while waiting for his visa allowance.[38] Two months later, he returned to Hungary before continuing his journey toward the United Kingdom.[28]

In early June 2026, he had reached Belgium, and in mid-June returned to Mexico due to visa expiry before applying for access to the Channel Tunnel; however, Eurotunnel rejected the request, citing safety and operational constraints.[39][40] In early September 2026, Bushby said he had received special permission from the French government to swim across the English Channel, with a planned swim date of 1 October.[41] He resumed walking in Belgium in September, reached Tournai on 18 September and entered France on 20 September.[42]

Bushby reached the United Kingdom on 5 October (precisely 28 years after he left Hull in 1998), after his English Channel swim. He stepped onto Shakespeare Beach, south of Dover, after approximately four days of swimming and resting on support boats. He was welcomed on the beach by friends and family, including his father, former SAS soldier Keith Bushby, and filmmaker Werner Herzog.[43] Bushby and his team intentionally kept the departure location and time of the swim private due to the potential safety issues arising from the publicity. The first media publications about the swim were made approximately 24 hours after he stepped onto British soil.[44] Bushby is expected to reach his home town of Hull in November 2026.[43][45]

Giant Steps

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Bushby wrote a book about his walk titled Giant Steps, first published in 2005. The latest edition (2007) includes events up to 31 March 2006, and his Bering Strait crossing. The book and the Bering Strait crossing also inspired a board game called Ice Flow.[46]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. 1 2 Shoesmith, Kevin (29 December 2025). "Mum's 27-year wait for return of global explorer son Karl Bushby". BBC News. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  2. ↑ "Who is Karl Bushby and why is he walking around the world?". BBC News. 20 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Bushby, Karl. Giant Steps: An American Odyssey from Punta Arenas to the Edge of Alaska, Time Warner Books, 2006.
  4. 1 2 3 Donahue, Bill (15 August 2014). "Will Russia thwart Karl Bushby's epic hike around the globe?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  5. ↑ Derworiz, Colette. "Colombian denied entry", Calgary Herald, 11 April 2003, page B8.
  6. ↑ Simpson, Rob. "Man with a mission", Hull Daily Mail, 16 September 1998, page 3.
  7. ↑ "Who is Karl Bushby? The British adventurer set to complete a 27-year walk around the world". The Times of India. 6 December 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  8. ↑ Maslin, Eleanor (11 June 2025). "Round-the-world walker prepares for home stretch". BBC News. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Tobin, Mitch. "Brit walking the world", Arizona Daily Star, 30 April 2002, pages B1 and B6, via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Tobin, Mitch. "Take a hike, U.S. tells global walker", Arizona Daily Star, 26 July 2002, front page and page A11, via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Tobin, Mitch. "Global walker resumes trek's U.S. leg", Arizona Daily Star, 20 August 2002, page A4, via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Brooks, Janet Rae. "Man Who Visited SLC on His Walk Around the Globe Has His Trailer Stolen", Salt Lake Tribune, 18 February 2003, page D3, via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Maslin, Eleanor (11 June 2025). "Round-the-world walker prepares for home stretch". BBC News. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  14. ↑ "Adventurers held by Russians after crossing Bering Strait". Associated Press-The Spokesman-Review. 5 April 2006. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "BBC 2006 Inside Out Bering Strait crossing". YouTube (copy BBC documentary, min 25:40). Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "Epic explorer crosses frozen sea". BBC News. 3 April 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
  17. ↑ "Judge to decide explorer's fate". BBC News. 12 April 2006. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
  18. ↑ "Explorer's world trek continues". BBC News. 5 May 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
  19. ↑ "Russia lifts ban on British trekker". The Guardian. 5 May 2006. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Goliath Expedition home page". Archived from the original on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  21. ↑ "Karl Bushby, the UK explorer, about his walking from Bilibino (Chukotka) & Srednekolymsk (Sakha-Yakutia), Russia's Far East". Ask Yakutia. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  22. ↑ Shoesmith, Kevin (19 March 2013). "Russia ban for Hull's round-the-world walker Karl Bushby". Hull Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014.
  23. ↑ Fisk, Geoff. "Walk around the world stops by Victorville". Victorville Daily Press. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  24. ↑ Bennett, Jay (15 May 2015). "Karl Bushby Is Sick of Walking Around the World". Outside Online. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  25. ↑ "Goliath Expedition". WestBound Horizons. 2024. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  26. ↑ Shoesmith, Kevin (8 August 2017). "How Karl Bushby plans to use camels on latest leg of 36,000-mile trek". Hull Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  27. ↑ "The Longest Journey Home". Karl Bushby.
  28. 1 2 "So where is Karl Bushby now?". On The Go Solo. 9 April 2026. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  29. ↑ Naughton, B. P. (5 September 2024). "Where is Karl Bushby 2024?". On The Go Solo. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  30. ↑ McPhee, Rebecca (19 October 2024). "Karl Bushby and Angela Maxwell Swim Across the Caspian Sea". Explorersweb. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  31. ↑ "İngiliz seyyah, Hazar Denizi'ni yüzerek Azerbaycan'a geçti" [British traveller swims across the Caspian Sea and cross Azerbaijan] (in Turkish). Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  32. ↑ Phillips, Holly (19 October 2024). "Round-the-world walker swims across Caspian Sea". BBC News. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  33. ↑ Maslin, Eleanor (11 June 2025). "Round-the-world walker prepares for home stretch". BBC News. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  34. ↑ "British traveler praises Türkiye's hospitality after completing walk". Daily Sabah. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  35. ↑ "WBH". WBH. Archived from the original on 1 October 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  36. ↑ "Karl Bushby (@karlcbushby) | TikTok". Retrieved 24 January 2026.
  37. ↑ "Karl Bushby kráča okolo sveta už 30 rokov. Teraz jeho cesta vedie cez Slovensko" [Karl Bushby has been walking around the world for 30 years. Now his journey leads through Slovakia]. Noviny. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  38. ↑ Shoesmith, Kevin (11 January 2026). "Adventurer's 'mixed feelings' as journey nears end". BBC News. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  39. ↑ Shoesmith, Kevin (17 June 2026). "Bushby tells Channel Tunnel: 'Don't kill my dream'". BBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  40. ↑ Page, Mark (18 June 2026). "Hull man walking around the world denied Channel Tunnel entry". Hull Daily Mail. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  41. ↑ "Global adventurer Karl Bushby names date for English Channel swim". www.bbc.com. 5 September 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  42. ↑ "Après 28 ans de marche autour du monde, Karl Bushby fait escale à Tournai avant le dernier défi" (in French). NoTele. 19 September 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  43. 1 2 Shoesmith, Kevin (6 October 2026). "Karl Bushby completes English Channel swim". BBC News. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  44. ↑ "Karl Bushby: Yorkshire adventurer back in UK after 28-year journey". Yorkshire Post. 6 October 2026. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  45. ↑ Hattenstone, Simon (13 October 2026). "'Some things are worth dying for': Karl Bushby's incredible 28-year walk home, through deserts, kidnappers and polar bears". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
  46. ↑ "Ice Flow". Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.

Bibliography

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