British adventurer Karl Bushby arrived in Hull on Monday, ending a 28-year journey around the world on foot. A crowd of about 500 people welcomed him in his hometown in northeast England as he completed a route of roughly 50,000 kilometers across 29 countries.
Bushby set off from southern Chile in 1998 with two rules: he would not use transport to travel, and he would not return home until he had completed the challenge. The former British Army paratrooper crossed the Americas, walked across the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia, and continued through Central Asia and Europe.
The journey was repeatedly delayed by visa problems, the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Bushby said those interruptions accounted for 14 years of the 28-year expedition. When he was able to continue, he resumed from the point where he had stopped. He reached the United Kingdom in early October after swimming across the English Channel from France.
At the Hull welcome, Bushby credited the planet for helping him make it home. He is now due to walk the final stretch to his mother Angela’s house, where he will reunite with his son, Adam, and meet his 12-year-old granddaughter.
German filmmaker Werner Herzog and a film crew accompanied Bushby on the final part of his return. They are making a documentary about the journey, titled “Walk of Life.” The film’s production company has supported Bushby’s expedition financially and logistically for the past 16 years.
Sources: Folha Ilustrada.