Former British paratrooper ends 28-year trek around the world
Karl Bushby, 57, walked and swam his way home after setting out from Chile in 1998 without relying on any vehicle.
A former British paratrooper returned to his family home in Hull, northern England, on Monday, ending a 28-year round-the-world trek, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Karl Bushby, now 57, set out in 1998 from Punta Arenas at the southern tip of Chile, aiming to make his way back to England without relying on any vehicle to move him forward.
He covered more than 50,000 kilometers, or 31,000 miles, across four continents and roughly 30 countries, heading north through the Americas before crossing the icy Bering Strait from Alaska into Russia.
His route then carried him through Asia and Europe, but the trip took far longer than he had planned because of visa and border restrictions, severe weather, money problems and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the toughest stages came in 2006, when he crossed the Bering Strait and picked his way through shifting sea ice between Alaska and Russia.
Years later, with overland routes blocked by geopolitical restrictions, he swam across the Caspian Sea to keep heading west.
Bushby reached Britain in October after swimming the English Channel, then walked the final 400 kilometers, or 250 miles, to Hull.
Arriving at his mother's home brought the expedition to a close, a journey that began when he was 29 and took up nearly half his life.
