Adventurer Finally Hugs Mom After 28-Year Walk Around the World From Home in UK.
Karl Bushby, a 57-year-old former paratrooper, reached his home town of Hull, England, on Monday after a 28-year, 36,000-mile walk and was reunited with his mother, Angela.
Karl Bushby, a 57-year-old former paratrooper, finished a 28-year walk on Monday when he reached his home town of Hull, England, and embraced his mother, Angela, 75. The Guardian reports that the journey covered 36,000 miles through 29 countries, running from Punta Arenas in southern Chile to Hull.
Bushby crossed the Humber Bridge into the city on Sunday, the same date he set off in 1998, and received a civic welcome in Queen Victoria Square on Monday. He was 29 when he left the army to begin the trip, which he had planned to complete in 12 years. He kept two rules throughout: not to return home until the feat was finished, and not to use transport to advance.
The route crossed four continents, including the frozen Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia and the Darién Gap in Central America. Bushby described last month how he had been threatened at gunpoint, faced down a polar bear, been convicted of spying, and been held in custody in Russia and sentenced to deportation. He pushed a trolley called Beast 2, named because his first one broke down. It carried medicine, sleeping bags, headtorches and two worn tyres.
About three miles from the square, Angela waited at the gate of Bushby's childhood home, as she had promised. After a tearful embrace, he told her: "Well done for hanging in there." Inside, he met his son, now 36, and a 12-year-old granddaughter for the first time. Film-maker Werner Herzog, who is making a documentary about the walk, joined the celebration.
On stage in the square, Bushby thanked the city and the people who helped along the way. "It took a world to get me here," he said, adding that he had not done it alone. The Guardian reports that the return makes him the first person to have walked continuously across the world, and that he had already passed the record for the longest unbroken foot journey.
Note: The headline says the walk began from home in the UK. The page describes the route as running from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Hull.
At a Glance
- Karl Bushby, 57, reached Hull on Monday, 2026-11-02, after walking 36,000 miles through 29 countries.
- He began the walk in 1998 at age 29 and had planned for it to take 12 years.
- He crossed the Humber Bridge on Sunday, the same date he set off in 1998.
- His mother, Angela, 75, met him at her gate. He also met his 12-year-old granddaughter for the first time.
- The Guardian reports he is the first person to walk continuously across the world.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.