Adventurer Karl Bushby arrives in Hull after 28-year walk from South America

Adventurer Karl Bushby has been mobbed by well-wishers as he arrived in his home town of Hull on the last day of his 28-year walk from South America.Mr Bushby, now 57, told crowds in the city centre: “There has never been a welcome home quite like this.”The former paratrooper set off from the southern end of Chile in 1998, when he was 28, vowing to walk all the way home without using any form of motorised transport.Karl Bushby (right) speaking to MP Karl Turner after he arrived back in Hull (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA)PA WireOn Monday, he made the penultimate stop of his epic journey in the centre of Hull, where he was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers outside the City Hall.He was mobbed and cheered as he walked into Queen Victoria Square wheeling his cart, before telling the crowd: “There has never been a welcome home quite like this, I’m sure.“This is absolute madness. After 28 years, you couldn’t ask for more than this.Mr Bushby, centre, was mobbed and cheered as he walked into Queen Victoria Square (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA)PA Wire“This is the last, last few steps.”Mr Bushby was greeted by the Lord Mayor and Hull East MP Karl Turner, who read out a message of congratulations from Prime Minister Andy Burnham.He went inside for a civic reception before setting off for the final leg of his 31,000-mile (50,000km) journey – the three miles to his mother’s house, in the north of the city, which he last visited in 1998.More crowds greeted Mr Bushby when he arrived at his final destination and gave his mother Angela a hug outside her terraced house.The 57-year-old was welcomed home by his mother Angela outside her house in Hull (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA)PA WireAmong the others waiting for him in the front garden was his son Adam, who is now 36 but was eight when his father embarked on the adventure.Mr Bushby’s father Keith and his granddaughter were also among those posing for the mass of photographers.Neighbours from the surrounding estate came out to cheer him back, many having decorated their homes with “Welcome Home Karl” banners and flags.Read MoreMonday’s leg crowns years of dangerous escapades, including crossing the notorious Darien Gap in Central America and traversing the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia on the frozen sea.More people had gathered to greet Mr Bushby as he arrived at his final destination (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA)PA WireMr Bushby arrived back in England earlier this month, announcing that he had swum the Channel.He told the crowd in the city centre: “Twenty-eight years… I could not have imagined this.“One last enormous thank you, guys. Just an enormous thank you.”He said: “I guess I’ll be seeing you around. I’ll be knocking about for a while, I guess.”Mr Bushby crossed North Bridge in the city during the final leg of his 31,000-mile journey (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA)PA WireMr Bushby said: “I didn’t do this alone. It was a big team. The biggest team – Earth.“That’s what it took to get me back.”Lord Mayor of Hull Maria Coward told Mr Bushby: “For 28 years – 10,229 days – Hull has been waiting for your return.”She said: “Hull is proud of you. I’m proud of you. Everyone’s proud of you.”Mr Bushby, centre left, arrived back in England earlier this month (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA)PA WireMr Turner read Mr Burnham’s message of congratulations on what he described as an “extraordinary journey”.It said: “To walk around the world from Chile and back again is an achievement of truly remarkable proportions.“It speaks of courage, resilience, perseverance and unbreakable spirit.”The Prime Minister’s statement also thanked Mr Bushby for his service to the country as a soldier.Mr Bushby, centre, was congratulated by the Prime Minister (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA)PA WireHe said: “Your journey has taken nearly three decades, crossed continents and tested you in ways that most of us can barely imagine.“But today, as you return to the city from which you left 28 years ago, you bring something far greater than any world record or remarkable personal achievement.“You bring a story of what can be accomplished through extraordinary determination and self-belief.”