Karl Bushby’s Goliath Expedition is expected to end in Hull on November 2, 2026, exactly 28 years and one day after the British adventurer left Chile with the modest aim of travelling home under his own power.

The 57-year-old former paratrooper has walked and swum roughly 31,000 miles across four continents and around 30 countries. His original estimate was 12 years. International borders, money problems, wars, visa restrictions and a global pandemic were apparently not interested in his schedule.

Hull City Council said Bushby would receive a public welcome before continuing to his mother’s home, where the expedition will officially finish.

How did a 12-year expedition become a 28-year journey?

Bushby began travelling from Chile on November 1, 1998, determined not to use transport to advance his route. He had wanted to undertake a major expedition since childhood, but the specific idea came from a birthday card sent by his father.

The card described Special Air Service soldiers discussing whether someone could walk from London to New York. Bushby eventually turned that thought into a route heading in the opposite direction, and on a considerably less convenient timetable.

His journey took him through extreme heat, freezing conditions, hazardous terrain and encounters with dangerous wildlife. One of the most difficult sections came in 2006, when he crossed the frozen Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia. During the crossing, he encountered a polar bear and endured severe cold.

Russian authorities detained him after he arrived. Visa complications later restricted his progress, while financial crises and the COVID-19 pandemic added years to the expedition.

“You can’t account for financial crises, pandemics, visa bans, wars and the bureaucracy you have to deal with,” Bushby told The Guardian.

His final route included two major swims

More recently, Bushby spent 31 days crossing the Caspian Sea. He then swam the English Channel and reached British soil on October 5, leaving the final overland stretch to Hull.

Completing the route brings a substantial personal cost into focus. According to the Associated Press, Bushby has not seen his mother for about 10 years. His son spent much of his childhood without him, and Bushby has never met his 12-year-old granddaughter.

Returning home also means losing the purpose that has structured almost half his life. After decades spent planning routes, negotiating borders and moving towards Hull, ordinary life presents a rather different challenge.

“My purpose for living is about to abruptly end,” he told The Guardian, adding that he would need to find a new direction once the journey was over.