In November 1998, Karl Bushby walked away from Punta Arenas at the southern tip of Chile with an ambitious destination in mind: his mother’s home in Hull, England. He landed at Shakespeare Beach near Dover and still had roughly 400 kilometres left to walk before reaching Hull. He set himself two rules for what became known as the Goliath Expedition: he would not use transportation to advance his journey, and he would not return home until he had reached it on foot. Nearly three decades, four continents and tens of thousands of miles later, the former British paratrooper is on the final leg of the journey.
Because he was unable to use the Channel Tunnel, as reported by NPR , Bushby reached British soil on October 5, 2026, after swimming across the English Channel.
Bushby’s plan was inspired by a birthday card from his father. It recounted a discussion between two British Special Forces soldiers about whether it was possible to travel from London to New York on foot via the Bering Strait. Bushby decided to attempt that route and expand it into a journey from the southern tip of South America to his hometown However, this was not yet the end. The journey has also taken a personal toll on Bushby. Bushby has crossed jungles, deserts, frozen seas and political borders, survived dangerous encounters and repeatedly rebuilt his route when plans collapsed. Now, with only the final stretch across England remaining, Bushby is walking toward the place he has long called home.
There were about 400 km to go before he reached his destination from Dover, which was his mother’s home in Hull. Bushby said he hoped to finish the journey on or about November 1, the anniversary of his departure from Chile. He left behind his 8-year-old son when he decided to start this long journey, but 28 years later, his son is now 36 years old. After 28 years, the journey has also involved personal and logistical sacrifices.
