Karl Bushby Says He's 'Hanging My Boots Up' After 28-Year Walk; Herzog Documentary and New Book Are Next

Karl Bushby is done walking, at least the long way. A day after reaching his mother’s front door in Hull, England, at the end of a 28-year trek from the tip of South America, the British adventurer said he won’t take on another big walk.

“I’m hanging my boots up,” Bushby said at a press conference after the reunion, the BBC reported. He told AFP: “I think I’m hanging my boots up – 28 years is a good run.”

What’s next for Karl Bushby

Bushby said he still has the drive for adventure but has ruled out more major walks, according to AFP. Asked what comes next, he told the BBC: “I have a story to tell.”

His plans so far, as reported:

• A documentary: Filmmaker Werner Herzog and a crew accompanied him on the homecoming for a feature-length documentary titled “Walk of Life,” AFP reported. The production company behind the film has backed Bushby with money and logistics for the past 16 years.
• A second book: He confirmed to the BBC that he is writing a second book about his travels.
• Getting used to normal life: He told AFP that adjusting to everyday life is now a focus, too.

Karl Bushby’s route

Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, in November 1998 at age 29. His goal was an unbroken path home on foot, under two rules: no returning to the UK until the end, and no transport to move forward, the BBC said.

The route crossed four continents, according to the BBC and AFP:

1. The Americas: He walked the length of South, Central and North America, including the dense jungle of the Darién Gap.
2. The Bering Strait: He crossed the frozen strait from Alaska to Russia in 2006, per the BBC.
3. Russia, Central Asia and Europe: He walked through deserts and mountains across Asia and into Europe.
4. The English Channel: He swam across from France in early October to reach Britain, AFP reported.
5. The finish: He crossed the Humber Bridge on Sunday, Nov. 1, and reached his mother’s home in Hull on Monday, Nov. 2.

AFP put the total at about 50,000 km (about 31,000 miles).

Only about 15 years of actual walking

The journey took 28 years, but Bushby told the BBC that only about 15 of them were spent walking. Visa problems, the late-2000s financial crash and the Covid-19 pandemic forced long pauses. AFP reported that Moscow at one point refused him a visa. During those breaks, he often stayed in Mexico, where costs are low, and later resumed from the exact spot where he had stopped.

He set off as a “penniless backpacker,” he told the BBC, sometimes relying on handouts and occasionally eating food left by the roadside. Sponsors, a book deal and the documentary came later.

‘The only thing worse…’

Bushby was candid about the hard part ahead. He told the BBC he expected to struggle in the coming weeks.

“Everything that I am and everything that I know of me is going to go away,” he said. “You’re going to have the old identity crisis, because Karl is this [an adventurer] and has been for half his life.”

He told AFP he was “still in that shocked phase,” with each “last” of the trip, from his final night in a tent to the final day on the road, turning into an emotional moment.

He also thanked the strangers who helped him, from hotel owners to the “poorest of the poor” who shared rice and water. “The biggest team - Earth - got me back here,” he told the crowd in Hull, according to the BBC.

Quick answers

Will Karl Bushby walk again? He said he is “hanging my boots up” and has ruled out more big walks.

What route did Karl Bushby take? Chile to Hull, through the Americas, across the frozen Bering Strait, through Russia, Central Asia and Europe, then a swim across the English Channel.

Is there a Karl Bushby documentary? Yes. Werner Herzog is making a feature-length film called “Walk of Life.”

Earlier coverage: Karl Bushby Finishes 28-Year Walk Around the World With Emotional Reunion With His Mother in Hull (Nov 2)