Karl Bushby’s “Goliath Expedition” Nears Completion After 28 Years on Foot

British adventurer Karl Bushby is set to finish his self-imposed “Goliath Expedition,” a continuous walk from the southern tip of Chile to his hometown of Hull, England. After swimming the English Channel—his only permitted crossing of the water barrier—he has stepped onto British soil for the first time in nearly three decades and aims to reach his mother’s house by early November.

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Bushby began the trek 28 years ago, leaving Chile on foot with two strict rules: no motorized transport and no return to England until he arrived on foot. The route has taken him through some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain. Between 2000 and 2001 he traversed the Darién Gap, a dense jungle plagued by armed conflict and drug-related violence. Financial setbacks followed the 2007-2008 crisis, and a denied Russian visa in 2012 forced him to swim the Caspian Sea in 2024 to continue toward Europe. Throughout, the expedition has been punctuated by logistical snags, visa denials, and the loss of sponsorship.

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Bushby acknowledges that the prolonged journey has strained his family ties; he has seen his mother, son and unborn granddaughter only sporadically. Over the years his sense of home has shifted, with periods in Mexico and Colombia feeling more like home than his native England. He now views his return to the UK as “learning this country again” and reestablishing his place there.

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• “I'd like to drag it out longer if I could,” — Karl Bushby

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• “Between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia fighting the Colombian government and the right wing paramilitaries,” — Karl Bushby

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• “It's a scary environment, just crushed ice and water and extreme temperatures,” — Karl Bushby

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• “There's people that you care for the most in the world that pay a price for your antics and for your ambitions," Bushby said.” — Karl Bushby

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• “I'm in my home country, but for me this is just another country," Bushby said.” — Karl Bushby

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