Karl Bushby returns to Hull after a 28-year journey
· BehindLines newsroom
Karl Bushby returned to his home city of Hull, in northern England, on 2 November, after a journey that began in South America in 1998. The British adventurer, now 57, then reached his mother's house. According to the Associated Press, his expedition covered approximately 50,000 kilometres across four continents. His arrival ends an adventure lasting 28 years, far longer than originally expected.
Even the final stretch had its own programme. On 26 October, Hull City Council had announced a welcome outside the city hall, followed by one last walk to the family home. The BBC's report published on 2 November and republished by AOL describes those closing stages: the crowd gathered in the centre, then the reunion with his mother on the doorstep of the house.
He had set out from Punta Arenas, Chile, on 1 November 1998, AP reports. Bushby imposed two rules on himself: he would not use transport to advance along his route, and he would not return home until he had completed it. Those rules led him, among other things, to cross the Bering Strait on ice, then swim across the Caspian Sea and the English Channel to continue his journey.
This expedition spanning several decades nevertheless does not amount to 28 years of uninterrupted walking. Speaking to the BBC, Bushby estimated that he spent about 15 of those years walking. The remaining time included lengthy waits, particularly over visas and the conditions needed to resume the journey. He often stayed in Mexico between stages. The overall figure therefore describes the expedition's duration, including its pauses, rather than a daily, uninterrupted physical effort.
On arrival, Bushby told the BBC that he was putting away his walking boots. Completing the route also opens another chapter: he is preparing a second book and working with filmmaker Werner Herzog on a documentary. After carrying his story along the roads for so long, he now plans to tell it. For his mother, who was waiting at the house where he grew up, the report conveys above all the relief of having him back.