By Sohaib Shams
British adventurer Karl Bushby, 57, is completing the final miles of a 28-year, 36,000-mile journey on foot from Punta Arenas, Chile, to his hometown of Hull. The former paratrooper set off in 1998 at age 29, imposing two rules: he would not return to the UK until the walk was finished, and he would use no transport to advance his route.
Crossing continents and oceans
Bushby's path has taken him across four continents, through the Darién Gap jungle, across the frozen Bering Strait in 2006, and, just weeks ago, across the English Channel by swimming from France to Dover. He now pushes a heavy-duty handcart, nicknamed "The Beast," through rural Lincolnshire, accompanied by a BBC reporter.
Family reunion awaits
At the finish, Bushby will be met by his 36-year-old son Adam, a 12-year-old granddaughter he has never met, his father, and his brothers. His mother, Angela, plans to wait at the gate of the childhood home he left nearly three decades ago.
Identity and purpose
Approaching the end, Bushby reflects on the psychological shift ahead. "Everything that I am and everything that I know of me is going to go away," he said. "You're going to have the old identity crisis, because Karl is this [an adventurer] and has been for half his life." He quoted the adage: "The only thing worse than a man who can't fulfil his dreams is a man who's fulfilled his dreams... because then what?"
Companion on the final leg
American long-distance walker Angela Maxwell joined Bushby for the walk from Dover after his Channel swim. "I think Karl might be surprised how much he'll miss the road," she said. "We joke sometimes that Karl doesn't love walking. But he loves the mission. He loves the passion, the purpose."
Public attention and personal cost
Bushby has been surprised by the public recognition during his final approach. "It's been almost overwhelming," he said. The journey has exacted a heavy personal toll: his marriage ended before he left, and he has spent only about 15 of the 28 years actually walking. The rest involved visa applications, geopolitical hurdles, and Covid-19 delays. Family meetings were rare and held abroad, leading to strained relationships. "You don't really know each other anymore," he acknowledged.
Life on the road
Bushby described the daily reality as far from glorious: punctures, finding places to wash clothes, endless kilometres in rain. Before sponsors and a book deal, he relied on donations and discarded food. Yet he said the kindness of strangers reaffirmed his faith in humanity. "I couldn't have done it without the world."
Advice for future adventurers
"Take any given opportunity. You can do a lot more than you ever imagined. A little bit of self-confidence will take you an awful long way," Bushby advised. Asked what he would tell his younger self, he smiled: "He doesn't want to hear it. You don't tell him anything. Just grin at him and let him be."
