After 28 years on foot, adventurer finally reaches UK

A British adventurer who has spent almost 28 years travelling more than 50,000 kilometres from South America without using conventional transport has finally reached British soil after swimming across the English Channel.

Karl Bushby, a 57-year-old former paratrooper, stepped ashore near Dover on Monday afternoon, nearly three decades after beginning his extraordinary journey from Punta Arenas in Chile in November 1998.

Bushby set out with the ambition of reaching his mother’s home near Hull in northern England without travelling by aircraft, train, boat, motor vehicle or any other form of transport. Photo: Independent on Saturday

His journey has taken him through 29 countries, across the Americas, over the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia and westwards across Europe.

The final international crossing required Bushby to swim the English Channel after obtaining permission from British and French authorities.

His team chose not to publicise the crossing beforehand because of safety and security concerns, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Bushby expressed relief at finally standing on British soil after so many years. He acknowledged the difficulties of the journey but said overcoming them had demonstrated that people were capable of achieving far more than they often believed possible.

An extraordinary journey

Bushby’s expedition has been interrupted repeatedly by circumstances beyond his control. Russian visa restrictions prevented him from continuing his route for an extended period, while the 2008 global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic caused further delays.

During these interruptions, he temporarily suspended the expedition, at one stage living in Mexico, before returning to the exact point where he had stopped.

His determination to complete the journey without using conventional transport has remained central to the expedition.

Bushby was welcomed at Shakespeare Beach, south of Dover, by a small gathering of friends and relatives, including his father and brothers.

Among those present was acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog, whose production team is making a feature-length documentary about the journey entitled Walk of Life.

The production company has supported Bushby’s expedition for the past 16 years, providing financial and logistical assistance while helping him record and archive his experiences.

Adjusting to ordinary life

Despite finally reaching his home country, Bushby faces the challenge of returning to a conventional lifestyle after spending much of his adult life travelling.

In an interview with AFP from northern France last month, he acknowledged feeling apprehensive about having to rebuild his life in Britain.

After nearly three decades on the road, he expects to arrive home with few material possessions and will need to establish himself again in what he described as the adult world.

Although his arrival on British soil marks a major milestone, the expedition will only be complete when he reaches his mother’s home near Hull.

For Bushby, the final stretch represents the culmination of a journey that began in Patagonia in 1998 and has since become an extraordinary test of endurance, persistence and determination.