Karl Bushby Walks Into His Mum’s Arms in Hull After His Walk Around the World
- Karl Bushby arrived in Hull, northern England, on 2 November 2026, marking the end of a 28-year global walking expedition
- The 57-year-old ex-paratrooper set out from Chile in 1998 with a strict rule never to use planes or motorised transport to move forward
- Bushby reunited with his mother after a decade apart and met his 12-year-old granddaughter for the very first time
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Source: Getty Images
Karl Bushby, a 57-year-old British ex-paratrooper, walked back into his mother's arms in Hull, northeastern England, on 2 November 2026. The moment ended a 28-year odyssey that took him across four continents, through 30 countries, and over roughly 50,000 kilometres on foot.
He had left Punta Arenas, Chile, on 1 November 1998, bound by two self-imposed rules: no planes and no motorised transport to move him forward. What he originally estimated would take 8 to 12 years stretched into nearly three decades.
Karl Bushby's remarkable Goliath Expedition
The route took him north through South, Central, and North America before he crossed the frozen, shifting ice of the Bering Strait from Alaska into Russia in 2006. He then trekked through Asia and into Europe. When the war in Ukraine blocked his path, he spent 31 days swimming across the Caspian Sea to keep his no-boat rule intact. In October 2026, just weeks before finishing, he swam the English Channel to complete the final water crossing.
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Along the way, he hauled his supplies in a modified two-wheeled golf trolley. The journey was also marked by serious setbacks: arrest for crossing into Russia without the correct documentation, visa delays, a bout of dysentery in Colombia, being held at gunpoint in Mexico, and long pauses caused by the 2008 financial crash and the COVID-19 pandemic.
An emotional homecoming in Hull
Hundreds of supporters, the Lord Mayor of Hull, and a congratulatory message from UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham greeted Bushby as he walked into the city. He then made his way to his childhood home to embrace his mother, Angela, whom he had not seen in ten years. Over that same weekend, he was reunited with his 36-year-old son, Adam, and held his 12-year-old granddaughter for the first time. German filmmaker Werner Herzog was among those present and is producing a documentary about the expedition.
Watch the emotional homecoming on Instagram.
The world reacts to Karl Bushby's return
People flooded the comments section on the Instagram page with everything from genuine awe to playful jokes:
@stubborn_blue said:
"An incredible journey and a wonderful homecoming. Glad he is safely back home with his mother. 👏"
@justagaywithabeard wrote:
"That's 28 years I could have spent in my mother's life, he's lucky she was still around to hug when he got back 😔"
@chakrabartiankur94 commented:
"He can be called a Super Soldier."
@kay_o1 noted:
"Started walking before Y2K, social media, AI and robotaxis."
@worldbeat.uk joked:
"He would have smashed the Fitbit record for steps 😂"
@yoshito_akiyama laughed:
"Bro came back just in time for GTA 6 😭🙏🏽"
@highlytales quipped:
"Dad finally came back from getting milk 🥛"
Source: Getty Images
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Source: Briefly News
