Karl Bushby completes 28-year journey home to Hull

Karl Bushby has completed a 50,000km journey from Chile to Hull, arriving at his mother’s home 28 years after setting off. About 500 people gathered in the city to welcome the 57-year-old adventurer before he walked the final few miles to reunite with his mother, Angela.

Bushby left Punta Arenas in November 1998, aged 29, aiming to reach home by an unbroken route without using transport to advance his journey or returning to the UK before its end. He crossed four continents, including the Bering Strait and the English Channel.

Only about 15 of the 28 years were spent walking, he told the BBC. Visa difficulties, the global financial crisis and the Covid pandemic contributed to delays. He said he had never expected such a welcome in Hull.

His mother, whom he had not seen for a decade, told the BBC: “It’s good to have him home.” Bushby said he expected to find it difficult to readjust to ordinary life after spending half of it as an adventurer.