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British adventurer Karl Bushby on Monday completed his extraordinary 28-year journey home to Hull, England, after trekking around 50,000 kilometres (31,000 miles) across four continents without using any transport to advance.
Bushby, 57, a former paratrooper, began his odyssey from Chile in South America in 1998, setting two golden rules: never use transport to move forward and never return home until he had completed the challenge.
His epic route took him across the Americas, over the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia, and through parts of Central Asia and Europe, spanning jungles, mountains, deserts and a frozen sea.
On Sunday, crowds applauded Bushby as he crossed the Humber Bridge near Hull in thick mist ahead of his final journey into the city. He was scheduled to receive a civic welcome from the city’s mayor and members of the public.
Hull Mayor Maria Coward said the city took pride in his achievement, praising his spirit, determination and perseverance.
Bushby’s final leg will reunite him with his mother, Angela, his 36-year-old son Adam and a 12-year-old granddaughter he has never met.
The journey faced repeated delays, including visa problems with Russia, the 2008 financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. During interruptions, he resumed his trek from the exact point where he had stopped.
He reached Britain early last month after swimming across the English Channel from northern France.
“Feels good to have UK soil under my feet after all these years,” he said, adding that the difficult journey had taught him that people could achieve more than they imagine.
German filmmaker Werner Herzog and his crew have accompanied Bushby on his homecoming for a feature-length documentary titled Walk of Life. The film’s production company has supported his journey financially and logistically for 16 years.
Bushby has also expressed some apprehension about returning to ordinary life, saying he needs to get established in the “grown-up world” again.