British adventurer Karl Bushby has returned to UK soil after spending nearly 28 years on an extraordinary journey around the world, covering almost 50,000 km across 29 countries. The 57-year-old former paratrooper reached Shakespeare Beach near Dover on October 5 after swimming across the English Channel from France.
Bushby began his expedition on November 1, 1998, when he left Punta Arenas in southern Chile at the age of 29. His ultimate goal was to reach his mother's home near Hull in northern England. He set himself two strict rules-- he would not use transport to advance his journey and would not return to the UK until the expedition was complete.
From South America To Asia
The expedition, known as the Goliath Expedition, took Bushby through some of the world's most challenging terrain. He crossed the Darién Gap, travelled through North America and made a historic crossing of the Bering Strait before continuing through Siberia, Mongolia, China and Central Asia. He also spent 31 days crossing the Caspian Sea, swimming about 288 km when geopolitical restrictions made a land route impossible.
His journey was repeatedly interrupted by visa problems, financial difficulties, the Covid-19 pandemic and changing geopolitical conditions. Despite the setbacks, Bushby repeatedly resumed his expedition from the exact point where he had stopped.
The Final Challenge: English Channel
The final stretch presented another major obstacle. After his request to use a Channel Tunnel service route was rejected, Bushby chose to swim across the English Channel. He spent about 20 hours in the water over three days before reaching Shakespeare Beach near Dover.
Friends and family welcomed him on the beach, where he marked his first return to British soil since 1998.
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However, Bushby's journey is not completely over yet. He still has roughly 400 km to cover before reaching his mother's home in Hull, where he is expected to complete the expedition in the coming weeks.
Bushby said returning to British soil felt special after all these years, adding that the difficulties were part of proving what he was capable of achieving. The extraordinary expedition is also being documented by filmmaker Werner Herzog in a feature-length film titled "Walk of Life."
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