Man Who Walked The World For 27 Years May Be Forced To Stop. Here's Why

A British man who has spent 27 years walking home from Chile could be stopped from swimming across the English Channel by French rules, according to The Metro. Karl Bushby, 57, a former paratrooper, left Chile in 1998 to walk back to his home city of Hull. He is not allowed to use any kind of transport under the rules of his own challenge, so ferries and cars are out of the question. He has now covered around 36,000 miles and reached Belgium, with the Channel as his last big hurdle.

As per the news story, Bushby had hoped to walk through the Eurotunnel service tunnel to reach England, but Eurotunnel bosses turned down his request in June, citing safety and operational reasons. This means swimming may be his only option.

However, French officials have told the BBC that under a 2018 order, France only allows Channel swims that start on the UK coast and finish in France, not the other way round. Bushby said he is currently in talks with the French coastguard about the issue.

Also Read | 27 Years, 31,000 Miles: British Man Who Set Out To Walk Around The World Nears The Finish Line

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Bushby plans to attempt the swim in October and has already arranged a support boat, saying the crossing should take two to three days. He is currently in Mexico, where he rests and sorts out visas between stages of the journey, and expects to reach France by late September.

Bushby said he was "not angry" about the situation, just "disappointed", and still hopes Eurotunnel might change its mind, since walking through the tunnel remains his preferred choice.

This would not be his first tricky water crossing. In 2006 he became the first Briton to walk across the frozen Bering Strait, and in 2024 he swam 186 miles across the Caspian Sea to avoid travelling through Russia or Iran.