British adventurer who has travelled 31,000 miles around the world finally lands back in UK 28 years later... after swimming the English Channel

Published: 18:16 BST, 6 October 2026 | Updated: 23:15 BST, 6 October 2026

A British adventurer has swum the English Channel and is back in the UK 28 years after he set off on a whopping 31,000-mile journey around the world.  

Karl Bushby, 57, started his global odyssey from Chile in November 1998 with the simple aim of becoming the first person to continuously circumnavigate the world on foot.

But now, after travelling through 29 countries, the finish line is in sight after he arrived at Shakespeare Beach just south of Dover on Monday.

Mr Bushby will now travel on to his family home in Hull, East Yorkshire, which will bring his epic challenge to a close.

He said: 'Feels good to have UK soil under my feet after all these years. It hasn't been easy, and that's part of the point. Proving I'm more capable than I give myself credit for. All of us can accomplish more than we will ever imagine.' 

At the beach Mr Bushby was greeted by family and friends as well as acclaimed film-maker Werner Herzog and his film crew. 

Mr Herzog is directing a feature-length documentary about Karl's journey titled Walk Of Life. 

Mr Bushby faced some minor hiccups at the French border when it came time to cross the Channel. 

 Karl Bushby pictured on his walk in Mexico in 2002. The 57-year-old started his global odyssey from Chile in November 1998 with the simple aim of becoming the first person to continuously circumnavigate the world on foot

Mr Bushby at a beach near Dover on October 5. Mr Bushby will now travel on to his family home in Hull, East Yorkshire, which will bring his epic challenge to a close

The son of an SAS soldier was this summer refused access to the Channel Tunnel, which would have avoided having to navigate one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Eurotunnel said closing its service tunnel, which runs next to the main tunnel, would pose a safety risk to passengers and affect essential maintenance work.

French officials also said that, under a 2018 prefectoral order, France only permits people to swim across the English Channel from the UK to France, rather than from France to the UK.

Having secured permission for the crossing from the proper authorities and coordinating with both French and UK coast guards, Mr Bushby was able to complete the swim. 

In 2024, he faced another hurdle when he was forced to swim 186 miles across the Caspian Sea as a means of avoiding having to enter Russia or Iran due to tensions with the West.

Mr Bushby pictured in the first decade of his challenge in Alaska in 2005

During his travels, he crossed the infamous Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama and became the first Brit to walk across the 58-mile Bering Strait between North America and Russia, although the journey involved some swimming.

However, Mr Bushby said securing visas and failing to gain permission to use the Channel Tunnel had been the hardest part of the expedition.

His mother, Angela, has promised to greet her son at the front gate to the family home at the conclusion of his 28-year journey which Mr Bushby previously estimated will be finished on November 1.

READ MORE: The man who left his home in Hull in 1998 and has spent the last 28 years walking 30,000 miles round the world!