British adventurer Karl Bushby has finally arrived home in Hull, 28 years after setting off from southern Chile on a journey to walk around the world without using transport to make forward progress.
The 57-year-old former paratrooper began his expedition in Punta Arenas on 1 November 1998, with the aim of walking all the way home to the UK. On 2 November 2026, he arrived at his mother’s front door, completing a journey of approximately 31,000 miles across 30 countries.
It has been far from a straightforward journey. Bushby was arrested as a suspected spy, detained in Russia, held at gunpoint and had close encounters with polar bears. He also spent several years stranded in Mexico while trying to resolve travel restrictions.
Among the most challenging parts of the expedition were crossing the Darién Gap, travelling across the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska into Siberia and swimming the Caspian Sea. More recently, on 5 October 2026, he swam the English Channel, reaching Shakespeare Beach near Dover before continuing his journey home to Hull.
The footwear that went the distance
Over the course of such an extraordinary journey, reliable footwear was essential. Bushby initially wore whatever shoes he could find along the way, but in 2013, while walking across the United States, he discovered Merrell.
He subsequently made the brand’s Moab hiking shoe his footwear of choice, wearing both waterproof and breathable versions across Central Asia, Europe and some of the world’s most demanding terrain.
“For the first 15 years, my footwear was whatever I could find in the next roadside town. You get what you can find. Then in 2013 while walking across America, I tried a pair of Merrells and took an instant liking to them. From then on I sought them out wherever I could,” said Bushby.
“Through Central Asia, Europe and all the way home, the Moab was my go-to for its comfort and durability. I’ve taken both the waterproof and the breathable versions to destruction on the road. The possessions you do carry hold significant sentimental value – the shoes were always so dependable.”
Bushby said he chose the shoes himself after trying them during the expedition, rather than as part of an original sponsorship arrangement.
Finally home in Hull
After 28 years, Bushby’s arrival in Hull marked the end of an expedition that had taken him across continents and through some remarkable challenges. He was welcomed home by his mother, Angela, and his son, Adam.
Merrell’s Chief Marketing Officer, Richard McLeod, said Bushby’s experience demonstrated the demands placed on footwear over such long distances.
“Karl’s journey is the kind of product test no lab could ever recreate. The fact that he independently chose the Moab, then continued to rely on it for more than a decade, is a powerful testament to its comfort and durability.”
For Bushby, though, the biggest achievement is surely reaching the front door he set out to walk to nearly three decades ago.
