Karl Bushby returns home after 28‑year, 50,000 km walk

British adventurer Karl Bushby has finished his nearly three-decade odyssey on foot and returned to the house where he grew up after covering about 50,000 kilometres, completing a journey that began more than 28 years ago.

Route, crossings and a final swim

During the course of his walk Bushby traversed some 30 countries across South and North America, Europe and Asia. He began in Chile and moved north through both Americas, crossed from Alaska into Russia, walked through Mongolia and China, and later returned across Europe after swimming the Caspian Sea. Last month he swam the English Channel as the final stretch of his trip that has been done entirely on foot.

At 57, Bushby walked into his hometown pushing a trolley containing his belongings — on which a spare tyre was lashed — and told those present: "After 28 years, a man really couldn't ask for more than this." He then continued on toward his family home, where his mother, his 36-year-old son and his 12-year-old granddaughter were waiting for him.

In his twenties Bushby served in the Parachute Regiment of the British Army. Following the breakdown of his marriage he set out inspired by his father, who once wondered whether it was possible to walk from London to New York. With only a tent, a few hundred dollars and a cheap plastic camera, Bushby began his long march.

He faced serious obstacles along the way: a short jail stay in Panama, an armed threat in Mexico and detention by Russian authorities after an illegal border crossing. The expedition was also delayed by the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to the BBC, Bushby said that of the 28 years since he started he had spent about 15 years actually walking, occasionally returning to Mexico to sort visas, logistics and sponsorship arrangements. A feature documentary about his journey is currently in production.

Photo: AP)