Man Walks for 28 Years from Chile to England on Epic Journey

For nearly three decades, Karl Bushby, a former British Army paratrooper, has been engaged in an epic solo journey on foot, a feat of endurance that began in Punta Arenas, Chile, in November 1998. His ambitious goal: to walk continuously to his home in Hull, England, without using any form of motorized transport.

Dubbed the Goliath expedition, Bushby's trek has spanned almost 28 years and is recognized as one of the longest continuous overland journeys ever recorded. As of June 6, 2026, he had covered more than 49,110 kilometers across continents and was just about 900 kilometers shy of reaching his final destination in the United Kingdom. The core principles of his challenge, no vehicles and no return home until completion, have dictated the extraordinary path of his expedition.

Bushby's journey has taken him through 25 countries, exposing him to a vast array of landscapes and climates. He has traversed the rugged terrains of Patagonia and the arid expanse of the Atacama Desert, navigated dense jungles, scaled formidable mountains, and ventured into regions near the Arctic Circle. This immense physical and mental fortitude has been tested repeatedly throughout his travels.

His expedition has not been without extreme peril. In 2001, he crossed the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, one of the most notoriously inhospitable regions on his route. Six years later, in 2006, he undertook another extreme challenge: walking across the frozen Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia during winter.

The Goliath expedition has also faced significant interruptions. In 2020, visa issues and COVID-19 restrictions stranded Bushby in Central Asia. More recently, in 2024, seeking an alternative route to Europe that bypassed Russia and Iran, he swam 288 kilometers across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan over 31 days. During this aquatic leg, a boat was used solely for rest, not for propulsion, maintaining the spirit of his self-powered journey. The final stretch towards home presents its own set of challenges as he nears the UK.