KARL, AFTER 28 YEARS THE FINISH LINE IS MUM’S EMBRACE
From Chile to Hull, through jungles, ice and borders. Karl Bushby is home. Among the people he thanked are the strangers who helped him along the way.
His mother Angela was waiting at the end. On 2 November Karl Bushby reached his family’s home in Hull, northern England, and embraced her. Around them were photographers, television cameras and people who had come to celebrate. The banner welcomed a son home.
He is 57, with a beard weathered by the journey and a story whose scale is hard to grasp: around 50,000 kilometres, an adventure begun in South America in 1998 and completed 28 years later. Yet when Karl tried to explain how he had made it this far, he made room for other people.
‘I didn’t do this alone,’ he said. In an achievement that appears to have just one protagonist, those words change the picture.
A line on a map, then the first step
The walk began in Punta Arenas, at the southern tip of Chile, in 1998. Bushby, a former British paratrooper, had set himself a goal: reach home along a continuous route, without using motorised transport to move forward.
He had a tent, little money and a journey still to imagine. From the Americas he would head north towards Alaska, cross into Asia and continue to Europe. Looking at that route now means reading names that seem to belong to separate adventures: the Darién jungle between Colombia and Panama; the Bering Strait; Russia; Central Asia.
Each place brings a different problem. Ice moves. Borders require documents. The body needs rest, food and shelter. A line drawn on paper, once you begin following it, crosses places where other people live, with rules and conditions beyond a walker’s control.
Waiting was part of the road too
Bureaucracy, money troubles and the pandemic stretched the adventure out. At times Bushby had to stop to organise visas, funding and logistics. The 2008 financial crisis hit sponsors; later came the disruption of Covid. Even when he had the strength to continue, the world could make him wait.
Of those 28 years, Bushby estimates that he spent around 15 walking. The others involved paperwork, finding support and preparing fresh departures, periodically returning to Mexico to organise things. That distinction matters: the journey includes all the days when moving forward was impossible.
He swam across some stretches of water, including the Caspian Sea and the English Channel. The latter crossing brought him back to England in October 2026. There was still the road to Hull, his belongings packed into the cart that accompanied him on the final stretch.
Hull comes out to meet him
The city had prepared a welcome in Queen Victoria Square, outside City Hall. Volunteers, a greeting from Lord Mayor Maria Coward and a short reception were planned before the final part of his journey home.
On 2 November the square filled with people who had come to see him arrive. Karl walked through his own city towards the destination he had kept in mind for years, this time surrounded by fellow residents. The previous day he had crossed the Humber Bridge, already back in the landscape of home.
For those waiting, his arrival was something to share: leave home, head to the square and welcome the walker as one of their own. After so many places along the route, Hull could finally greet him again.
Kindness travelled with him
In his thanks, Bushby spoke about the kindness of strangers and the people and support that had made his expedition possible. His homecoming gives space to something less visible than the great physical challenges: those who stood beside him along the way.
The world Karl crossed held closed borders, long waits and danger. It also held people willing to help. His thanks bring both experiences together: he can describe how hard it was while remembering the generosity he received. That feels like a lovely way to come home, without claiming all the credit.
There is something familiar here, even within a story of extraordinary proportions. We know whose names would appear in the acknowledgements for a difficult passage in our own lives. Some stayed for years; others were there just long enough to help us set off again.
Now comes life back at home
At the end of the journey Karl was reunited with his grown-up son and met his 12-year-old granddaughter for the first time. His family had changed over those 28 years. Finding one another again means making room for the people everyone has become.
He has spoken about the uncertainty of what comes after such a long expedition. Public talks are planned and a documentary is in production. Meanwhile, he must get used to days when the next step no longer needs to bring Hull closer.
We like to pause here, beside the cart that has finally arrived. With Angela able to hold her son again and Karl thanking those who helped him. After so much distance, there is a new kind of time to learn to share.
