An ex-paratrooper who has spent the last 27 years walking home from South America faces a final, unexpected obstacle that could force him to swim the last leg of his journey. Karl Bushby, now 56, set off from Chile in 1998 on a mission to walk back to his hometown of Hull without using any form of transport. What he believed would be a 12-year trek has become a 36,000-mile odyssey, now potentially threatened by the rules governing the Channel Tunnel.
A Journey Defined by Geopolitics and Grit
Bushby's incredible journey has been a masterclass in endurance and adaptation. He began in Chile in 1998, but geopolitics, war, and persistent visa issues have dramatically slowed his progress. His path has been far from straightforward. He has dodged drug gangs in the treacherous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, where he also spent 18 days in a Panamanian prison after crossing a closed border.
In Russia, he narrowly avoided deportation in 2006 for not entering at an official port. Later, in 2013, he staged a unique protest against a visa ban by walking from the US west coast to the Russian embassy on the east coast. It wasn't until 2017 that he could resume, finally crossing into Mongolia. One of his most remarkable feats was swimming over 170 miles across the Caspian Sea in 31 days last August to bypass Iran and Russia.
The Final Hurdle: Under the Channel
Now in Hungary and expecting to reach the English Channel by October next year, Bushby faces a logistical dilemma. His self-imposed rule forbids any mechanised transport, including ferries. His preferred solution is to walk through the Eurostar service tunnel, the maintenance and evacuation passage that runs between the two main rail tunnels.
However, permission to use this secure tunnel is not guaranteed. "We haven't reached out officially yet," Bushby admitted. "I'm sitting on a letter right now, I just need to find the right contact. Getting permission – I don't know how hard that might be. I'm optimistic, but we'll see." He has joked that his alternatives are to "take hostages" or, more realistically, to swim across.
Retirement Awaits at His Mother's Doorstep
When he finally arrives at his mother's home in Hull, Bushby will confront a new kind of challenge: life after the walk. "It's a little daunting," he said. "Like anyone who's had a long career, it's retirement day. My purpose for living for the last 27 years will just come to a grinding halt. I've got to grow up and get a job, so that sucks. But we'll figure it out."
The service tunnel has been traversed by a handful of determined individuals before. British cyclist Chris Froome pedalled through it in 2014, while South African Lance Dyer walked it illegally in flip-flops in 2005, leading to his arrest by French police. Whether Bushby will be allowed to add his name to this short list remains the final uncertainty in a journey defined by them.
