Unbelievable odyssey of an individual who walk-based wandered the globe for 27 years, eschewing any form of transportation.
He's a bloody bloke on a blimmin' mission, mate! Karl Bushby, the 56-year-old bloke from Hull, England, has been wandering the bloody 'ell around the world since '98! Can you fathom that?
His so-called 'Goliath Expedition' started in Punta Arenas, Chile, and he ain't had a footie rest since. If he wasn't the fittest person on this blooming planet before, he blummin' well is now!
Originally, he reckoned he'd be done in 12 years, but Mother Nature's been a tricky 'arsehole', as she tends to be. The blinking Darien Gap in between Colombia and Panama, the freezing Bering Strait between the US and Russia, and the Channel Tunnel between France and good ol' Blighty have caused him some serious hassle. Thought he could nip through the tunnel like a rat? Think again, mate! No cars, buses, or bloody equal opportunities for walkers up in here!
Be it busted borders, blimmin' authorities, or weather mood swings, this bloke's faced the bloody lot. Spent some time in Panama's big house for straying into a closed zone, but luckily sailed through the first two challenges.
But getting through the Channel Tunnel poses a different kettle of fish. A maintenance worker's tunnel it may be, but it's 15m away from each rail tunnel, and it's a blooming 4.8m in diameter! That's a tight squeeze, even for a lad like Karl. He just needs to get the right blinking paperwork to stride through, as foot passengers are usually as welcome as a fart in a spaceship!
The poor bloke's been holed up in Mexico while awaiting a permit to get the leg over. Gave a chat to the Beeb and said, "Getting back home, it's weird, it's a blimmin' odd place to be. It'll be like my purpose for living has had the plug pulled." He's hopeful of moving onto bigger and better adventures once he bloody well finishes this one.
After a 31-day swim through the Caspian Sea last year, Karl trekked through Azerbaijan and Turkey before starting his European leg in May. It's just a matter of hanging in there, as he reckons it'll take until '26 to finish the job!
Listen to the Beeb's Radio Humberside to hear him 'ave it himself. This fella's not giving up, despite a few near-death scrapes with Mother Nature. The blinking world, eh? You couldn't make it up!
Currently, he's making his way through Turkey and preparing to head into Europe this summer. Bloody 'ell, let's hope he doesn't meet any more 'crazy' challenges on his journey!
Topics: Weird News, Travel, World News
Enrichment Data:Karl Bushby set out on his ambitious journey to walk around the world beginning from Punta Arenas, Chile, and plans to end in Hull, England. Here's what we know about his journey so far:
Journey Highlights:
- Starting Point and Americas: He started trekking towards the north from Punta Arenas on November 1, 1998. He walked through South, Central, and North America, and reached Alaska.
- Crossing the Bering Strait: In 2006, Bushby walked across the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska to Siberia, while navigating through ice floes and encountering polar bears.
- Detention in Russia: Russian authorities detained him for not entering at a correct port and imposed a five-year ban. However, he was eventually allowed to continue his journey in 2014.
Challenges:
- Darien Gap: There's no specific mention of him crossing the Darien Gap on foot, but it's a difficult area with dense jungle and lack of roads. Adventurers usually resort to boats or other means to bypass this gap.
- Channel Tunnel: There's no information available about him crossing the Channel Tunnel. It's a significant engineering feat not designed for pedestrian traffic, and he might need to find alternative methods to cross the English Channel.
- Current Challenges: As of 2025, Bushby faces challenges such as visa issues. He reached Turkey in February 2025 but was limited to walking for only 180 days due to a "visa ban." He also had to swim across the Caspian Sea due to geopolitical tensions preventing him from entering certain countries.
Future Plans:
Bushby plans to head into Europe this summer, marking the final leg of his journey. Despite numerous setbacks, he remains determined to complete his 36,000-mile trek.
- Despite the numerous challenges he's faced, including busted borders, tricky weather conditions, and visa issues, Karl Bushby remains hopeful of completing his adventure-travel quest to walk around the world, with his Europe leg scheduled for this summer.
- In the world of news and travel, unlikely stories like Karl Bushby's capture our attention, as he navigates through unexpected events such as being detained in Panama's big house, crossing the frozen Bering Strait, and journeying through the Darien Gap and the Channel Tunnel, which was not designed for pedestrian traffic.
- As lifestyle trends lean towards unique experiences and challenging adventures, stories like Karl Bushby's challenge us to rethink what's possible and serve as an inspiration for future explorers, proving that determination and resilience can lead to extraordinary achievements.
