John Carl Roat

TODAY: A man who left home 28 years ago just finished walking all the way back. His name is Karl Bushby, a former British paratrooper from Hull, England. On November 1, 1998, he set off from the southern tip of Chile with two rules: no motorised transport to move forward, and no going home until he'd walked there. He thought it would take 12 years. It took 28. Over roughly 31,000 miles, 29 countries and four continents, he pushed a handcart he calls "The Beast." He hacked through the Darién Gap jungle between Panama and Colombia. He crossed the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska into Russia. Then Siberia. Then the rest of Asia. Visas, the 2008 crash, Covid and closed borders stopped him again and again. So in 2024 he swam across the Caspian Sea rather than go through Russia or Iran. Then he swam the English Channel from France to Dover. Yesterday he crossed the Humber Bridge through crowds. This morning hundreds packed Queen Victoria Square in Hull to cheer him. "There has never been a welcome home quite like this," he told them. "After 28 years, you couldn't ask for more than this." Then he set off on the final three miles, to his mum Angela's house, the home he last saw in 1998. His son and granddaughter are waiting too. He's 57 now. Some people talk about going the distance. Karl Bushby walked it. Welcome home, Karl. 🇬🇧👣 Disclaimer: Based on BBC News, The Independent and Hull Daily Mail reports, November 2, 2026. Photos: Video is an AI-generated recreation