Karl Bushby, 57, arrived in his hometown of Hull, England, on Monday after a 28-year, 50,000-kilometer journey on foot across four continents. He was met by some 500 cheering people as he completed the final leg of a trek that began in Chile in 1998, when he was 29. Bushby told the crowd: "I didn't do this alone. There was a big team, the biggest team, Earth. That's what it took to get me back."
Bushby, a former British paratrooper, began his adventure after his marriage broke up and his wife returned to Northern Ireland with their son. He followed two rules: avoid all forms of motorised transport to advance, and not return until he had finished what he set out to do.
In 2006, Bushby crossed the iced-over Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia with French explorer Dimitri Kieffer, nearly losing his life in the process. He spent some time in jail in Panama for entering the country without a visa, and his journey was paused when Russia refused him a visa. The COVID-19 pandemic also caused delays. Bushby always resumed the trek at the exact spot where he had left off.
He swam the English Channel from northern France to Dover over four days last month. A very final leg of the journey was to take him to north Hull, where he was to reunite with his mother, Angela, his 36-year-old son, Adam, and a 12-year-old granddaughter he had never met.
German filmmaker Werner Herzog is making a feature-length documentary about the journey, titled “Walk of Life.” In an interview with AFP in September, Bushby expressed apprehension about returning to a more normal life: “I've got to try and get established in the grown-up world again.”
Bushby hauled his supplies largely on a handcart. He originally planned to finish in 12 years, but the journey lasted more than double that.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Completing a continuous, human‑powered crossing of four continents over 28 years pushes the boundaries of endurance and challenges the modern idea of speed and convenience.
- Bushby's reunion with a granddaughter he had never met underscores the personal cost of such a monumental undertaking and the importance of family connections.
- Werner Herzog's documentary will bring the story to a global audience, preserving a rare feat of sheer will and determination.
Background
Bushby began his journey from the southern tip of South America in 1998, walking north through the Americas, then across the Bering Strait into Russia and onward through Europe to the UK. He obeyed two rules throughout: no motorised transport to advance, and no returning home until the walk was complete. He was periodically forced to pause by visa issues, imprisonment, and the COVID-19 pandemic, but always resumed at the exact point he had stopped.
What to Watch
- Bushby's readjustment to a stationary life in the UK, which he has described as daunting.
- The release of Herzog's documentary “Walk of Life” and the attention it may bring to the journey.
- Whether the feat receives official recognition as a world record or a journey of its kind.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedBushby told the crowd, “I didn't do this alone. There was a big team, the biggest team, Earth. That's what it took to get me back.”DW English: “"I didn't do this alone. There was a big team, the biggest team, Earth. That's what it took to get me back," Bushby told the crowd.”
- SupportedBushby returned to Hull after a 28-year walk.DW English: “British adventurer Karl Bushby, 57, arrived back his hometown in England on Monday after crossing four continents on foot.”
- SupportedThe journey covered 50,000 kilometres.DW English: “He was met by a cheering crowd of some 500 people in the northeastern city of Hull at the end of his 50,000 km (31,000 mile) journey”
- SupportedBushby crossed four continents on foot.DW English: “arrived back his hometown in England on Monday after crossing four continents on foot.”
- SupportedBushby arrived in Hull on Monday.DW English: “Karl Bushby, 57, arrived back his hometown in England on Monday”
- SupportedSome 500 people cheered Bushby as he completed the journey.DW English: “He was met by a cheering crowd of some 500 people in the northeastern city of Hull at the end of his 50,000 km (31,000 mile) journey”
- SupportedBushby began the journey in Chile in 1998.DW English: “Bushby, a former paratrooper, began his adventure in Chile aged 29 after a marriage breakup”
- SupportedBushby was a former British paratrooper.DW English: “Bushby, a former paratrooper, began his adventure in Chile aged 29”
- SupportedIn 2006, Bushby crossed the iced-over Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia with French explorer Dimitri Kieffer, nearly losing his life.DW English: “he crossed an iced-over Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia with French explorer Dimitri Kieffer in 2006 — nearly losing his life in the process”
- SupportedBushby spent time in jail in Panama for entering the country without a visa.DW English: “He also spent some jail time in Panama for entering the country without a visa.”
- SupportedRussia refused Bushby a visa, pausing his journey.DW English: “including when he was refused a visa by Russia”
- SupportedBushby swam the English Channel from northern France to Dover over four days last month.DW English: “returning to Britain early last month, he swam the English Channel from northern France to Dover over four days.”