Goliath Expedition
The Goliath Expedition is Bushby's attempt to walk around the world "with unbroken footsteps", from the southern tip of South America to his home in Hull, England. He left Hull on 5 October 1998 and originally expected to finish the trek of 36,000-mile (58,000 km) in 12 years; [5] however, due to numerous delays, it was still in progress as of 6 December 2025 [update] . [6] [7]
On 1 November 1998, Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, Chile. His route through South America took him through Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Entering Central America required Bushby to cross the inhospitable Darién Gap. Many locals expected him to be killed or abducted by the paramilitary Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which viewed all foreigners as potential parts of the U.S.-backed Plan Colombia initiative. Bushby successfully evaded FARC guerillas and entered Panama in February 2001, although he spent 18 days in a jail in Metetí for entering the country without a visa. [2]
On 29 April 2002, he left Mexico and entered the United States at Nogales, Arizona. [8] However, upon reaching Las Vegas in July, Bushby was told that his 90-day visa had expired and could not be renewed while he was in the United States. He thus flew back to Bogotá to apply for a six-month visa, [9] returning to Las Vegas to resume the walk when it was approved in August. [10]
On New Year's Day 2003, a day away from crossing into Canada, Bushby had his trailer stolen while visiting a bar in Toole County, Montana. He spent the next month replacing the items that were lost, only for the stolen trailer to be found in a quarry just before he was ready to depart the United States. [11]
By 2006, he had completed over 17,000 miles (27,000 km), walking across the length of South, Central, and North America. [12] Bushby intended to set out from Fairbanks, Alaska, and cross the frozen Bering Strait during the winter of 2005 but made it only as far as Unalakleet before spring began and his U.S. visa expired once again. [2] : 312–313 In March 2006, Bushby and French adventurer Dimitri Kieffer successfully crossed the Bering Strait on foot, having to take a roundabout 14-day route across a frozen 150-mile (240 km) section to cross the 58-mile (93 km) wide strait from Alaska to Siberia. [13] They were detained by Russian border troop officers while they were crossing the Russian border near the Chukotkan village of Uelen, for not entering Russia at a correct port of entry. They were threatened with being banned from Russia, which would stop the journey. [14] It was announced on 5 May 2006 that the Russian appeal court had upheld Bushby's application and his walk would continue. [15] This was reported to be the result of consultation between John Prescott, the then British Deputy Prime Minister (and MP for Bushby's home town of Hull), and Roman Abramovich, the then Governor of Chukotka. [16]
On 16 March 2007, it was announced that Bushby had obtained the required permission from the Russian authorities, and had begun to prepare for the second half of his Goliath Expedition. Bushby would walk the first leg of this stage to Yakutsk, along with Kieffer. He had a struggle with the Russian authorities to get a visa and permit (the entire area is a military area, and a special visit permit is needed). During 2007, he managed to walk more than 620 miles (1,000 km) from Uelen to Dvoinoye, returning to Alaska when his visa ran out in November.[ citation needed ]
In 2008, Bushby only walked for three weeks, reaching Bilibino. He started very late, since the visa approval was delayed, and when the snow disappeared in May he could not continue because the area is filled with swamps and rivers, impossible to penetrate on foot when not frozen. He was only allowed to be in Russia for 90 days out of every 180 days per visa and had to leave the country before each visa expired.[ citation needed ]
From late 2008 to 2010, Bushby spent his time in Mexico for cost reasons and was unable to travel to Russia. This was both because of trouble getting a visa and permits, and because of financial trouble; Bushby lost several of his sponsors due to the 2008 financial crisis. [17] After Bushby secured new sponsors in 2010, the Russian government issued him another visa, and he resumed walking across Russia in the spring of 2011. [17]
In addition to the 90-day time restraint imposed by Russian visas, Bushby was hampered by the tundra conditions. Because his route took him through an area that can only be travelled on foot via frozen rivers and ice roads, he could only walk during the late winter and early spring. [18] On 25 April 2011, after walking approximately 680 miles (1,100 km), Bushby reached the town of Srednekolymsk, completing his leg for 2011. [17] Beginning his 2012 leg, he only needed to travel an additional 560 miles (900 km) before reaching improved roads, meaning his travel would only be limited by the Russian visa rules. On 12 April 2012, Bushby reported on his site that the Russian authorities had denied him a visa for 2012. [17]
In March 2013, Russia banned Bushby from re-entering Russia for five years, citing a border violation from the previous year. [19] Bushby walked over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) in the US from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. His destination was the Russian Embassy. [3] [20] On 23 October 2014, Bushby's visa ban was overturned, [21] and he was granted a letter of invitation from the Russian government.
Bushby crossed the Russia–Mongolia border in 2017, and on 8 August 2017 he was in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. [22] [23]
Bushby crossed into Uzbekistan early in June 2019, reaching the border between Turkmenistan and Iran a few months later, where the voyage was on pause due to visa issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.[ citation needed ]
In August 2024, Bushby started the swim across the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan, planning to finish in Azerbaijan to avoid going through Iran or Russia, as both countries were then too dangerous to enter with a British passport. Bushby was accompanied by co-swimmer Angela Maxwell and two Azerbaijani national swimmers, Anastasiya Boborikna and Abdurrahman Rustamov. [24] Each day, Bushby and company swam in two 3-hour sessions: one in the morning, one in the afternoon and resting and sleeping on support boats each night. [25] The swim covering 179 miles (288 km) was achieved in 31 days with 132 swimming hours. [26] [27] From Azerbaijan, Bushby then went to Turkey to cross the Bosphorus Strait into Europe.
In June 2025, Bushby was in Armenia waiting for a visa to enter Turkey to complete his challenge. At that time, he hoped to continue his trek in August 2025 and estimated he would return home to Hull by 2026. [28]
In September 2025, Bushby finished crossing Turkey and entered Bulgaria, entering the Schengen Area. [29]
In October 2025, he had entered Romania and was 1,375 miles (2,213 km) from the United Kingdom. [30]
On 15 November 2025, he arrived in Budapest, Hungary and plans to head to Vienna, Austria. [31]
In December 2025, he was reported to be in Slovakia. [32]
