Archive · 7 Oct 2026
Karl Bushby Completes Channel Swim Nearing End of 28-Year Journey
Karl Bushby started a very long journey in Chile in 1998.
He wanted to walk all the way to his childhood home in Hull without using transport to move forward.
Along the way, he crossed many countries and faced difficult obstacles.
One of his last big challenges was the English Channel.
He was not allowed to use a tunnel service route, so he swam from France to England.
The swim took 20 hours spread over three days.
He arrived at Shakespeare Beach near Dover on Monday.
He still has a final stretch to travel before reaching Hull, which he is expected to do by early November.
Karl Bushby began his Goliath Expedition in Chile on November 1, 1998, aiming to reach Hull without using transport to advance his journey.
His route has covered more than 30,000 miles across 29 countries, including a crossing of the Bering Strait and a 31-day swim across the Caspian Sea.
After being denied permission to use the Channel Tunnel service tunnel, Bushby swam from France to Britain over 20 hours spread across three days.
He reached Shakespeare Beach near Dover at about 3:30 pm BST on Monday, setting foot on British soil again.
Bushby is expected to reach Hull by early November; visa restrictions, financial problems, the pandemic and geopolitical issues delayed his expedition.
- Who
- British adventurer Karl Bushby.
- What
- He completed a multi-day swim across the English Channel as part of his Goliath Expedition.
- When
- He reached Shakespeare Beach at about 3:30 pm BST on Monday; he began the expedition on November 1, 1998.
- Where
- From France across the English Channel to Shakespeare Beach near Dover, England.
- Why
- The expedition's goal is to reach his childhood home in Hull without using transport to advance his journey; he swam after his request to use the Channel Tunnel service tunnel was rejected.
- Expedition
- Goliath Expedition
- Start
- Chile, November 1, 1998
- Distance
- More than 30,000 miles (48,000 km)
- Countries crossed
- 29
- Channel swim
- 20 hours spread across three days
- Arrival point
- Shakespeare Beach, just south of Dover
- Expected destination arrival
- Hull by early November