Why is this man being celebrated?

Exactly. All I see is a man who has shirked his responsibilities for 28 years.

its just facts.

And although you are right - she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t drown out her grief by doing sponsored that and that.

She had to support her kids with their grief, whilst doing all the domestic stuff that never stops just because you are grieving. She also managed to run her business. She had to.

He went to work, did sports and did sponsored things. His kids were well looked after. He was fed good food. His house was beautiful and clean. His clothes were washed.

Men have a choice to be self indulgent and avoidant. Women don’t. Unless we change things. Starting with calling out men’s self indulgent behaviours and shirking of responsibility and not letting ‘but he…’ get in the way.

No one hailed her a hero. No one wrote news articles about her.

She was the real hero in that story.

Agreed!

I am thinking the same! He has just been on ITV breakfast and they are glorifying it all....bet his child's mum doesn't think he's a hero, hey 🤦‍♀️

Come on ex-Mrs Bushby!! Sell your side of the story and make some money from this feckless twat!!

People like him want the best of both worlds....to have the perks of adulthood like partner and kids, but still be selfish flaky free spirits who do what they want stuff everyone else.Arrogant and immature.He was just on the TV with his dad though and when the presenters asked the father 'how does it feel having him home' he answered 'well i haven't really got used to it yet' and didn't show any emotion, which was interesting.
I wondered if there was a lack of emotional attachment with the parents which triggered the son's issues and extreme behaviours of escapism, or whether the son's behaviours and abandonment of his family have caused issues in the relationship and the parents aren't pleased due to that.

I can't understand the celebration he's received!

He abandoned his child, and his aging mother. Personally, if I'd been his son, I'd want nothing to do with him.

So incredibly selfish. And I imagine there would be a very different response if a mother had decided to do this.

Army family and that often comes hand in hand with suppressed emotions. Hard job to do if you are emotionally intelligent and empathic. Thats no disrespect to any one that serves, I have a huge respect, but like some other jobs with high risk of trauma, you often find that people either started out or ended up with an ‘emotional Teflon’ coping strategy.

I completely agree.
Has anyone interviewed his ex partner, the mother of the child he abandoned ?

Also, some of the reporting is giving the impression that this man has been on a non-stop trek, when it’s actually a series of separate smaller treks in between long periods of settled living in another country. If you don’t pay too much attention, you’d assume it’s the former. (And I wouldn’t be too surprised if there is some “exaggeration” to his story here too - maybe I’m cynical but there often is with these sort of stories, for the sake of a book or whatever).

But the real puzzle is why the press etc. are making such a big fuss, when there’s really not much to admire here. I assume he must have a good publicity agent or something, because somehow he has got the media to do his self-promotion for him (ahead of his planned tour etc).

I thought the exact same thing? I wonder if he still paid maintenance?

This.

Not bothered to bring up his son or visit him or financially provide for him. Left that to the ex and/state to do.

Not bothered to visit his mother in 28 years.

Just did what he wanted and fuck all nothing for his son. Definition of deadbeat dad.

I doubt it as it sounds like he was relying on the kindness of strangers to feed and house him for the past 28 years, although I think he also had sponsors for some of that time, and lived off proceeds from a previous book.

And I would assume he hasn’t paid NI in the UK for all that time, so will probably not be entitled to a full pension in ten years time. Maybe he’s got other arrangements or plans to live off whatever money he can make from book deals and public appearances.

I really don’t see him settling back easily.

I really hope ex wife didn’t get a financial clean break so she can now go after the maintenance arrears when he makes hundreds of grand from his Salt Path-esque adventure…

I saw an interview with him where he said he’s starting from scratch so needs to get a job etc. he said he’s got nothing. So I expect that is why he needs to monetise his life. 15 years of which was spent languishing in Mexico!

Not so much languishing as shacking up with other women picking up the tab.

I thought it was particularly telling that he admitted in an interview that should either of his parents died while he was away, he wouldn't have returned for their funeral.
His own son had a near fatal motorbike accident, and he couldn't tear himself away from living his dream to return for that either.

What a gem of a man.

I expect there will be very few women attending his tour.

Taken from Facebook
By onestep4ward someone who has climbed summits and gone to N&S poles

"Karl Bushby. A fraud? Maybe. A father? Certainly not.

My take, for what it's worth. It's long, but it upsets me, so here we go.

If you don't know, Karl Bushby has returned back to the UK after a '28 year walk around the world'. And is being heralded by global media. This is something close to my heart, so I feel the need to share it too.

Karl covered 36,000 miles (58,000km) in 28 years. And also did 1 truly epic thing on the journey, namely a 14 day crossing of the Bering strait. Legendary. That's the bit that joins Alaska to Russia when it freezes during the winter. Only 8 people have done that, serious legit!

And he also crossed the Darien Gap, that's the bit that joins Panama to Colombia. Deep forest, drug runner territory (although it's very manageable, truth be told, where over 500k in only 2023 did it, still super sketchy though).

This is when it gets a bit trickier for me, as holding him up as some kind of modern Shackleton.

ABANDONED HIS SON:
First of all, and the reason I posted this, as some who grew up with no father, the fact he started this journey when his son was 8, and he just f*cked off out of the UK knowing he was leaving him behind is horrific. And selfish. His son flew to see his dad 4 times in 3 decades. The first time as a young adult. I think that tells us what his son thinks about all this.

• something particularly upsetting about this is that Karl did an American podcast stating that because he had been a British soldier, he COULDN'T go back to Belfast to see his son. I grew up in Northern Ireland, my entire 18 years of childhood, and that is quite literally a bare-faced lie. The true point here is that Karl knows that's a lie, and also knew that the American podcast audience WOULDN'T know it's a lie. And essentially he tried to cover his tracks at leaving his 8year old at home, with a fake excuse. Shameful.

ABANDONED HIS MUM:
Then his mum. She's now 78, in ill health. He's seen here 3 times in almost 3 decades. I mean, what are we doing here?

HE LIVED IN MEXICO FFS!!!
The 28 year 'journey' is basically a lie. He literally spent multiple years in Mexico. Living there. He spent OVER A DECADE not walking. He reported that himself. Multiple years on end. Still didn't visit his family though.

LESS THAN 10,000 STEPS A DAY?!
People are encouraged to do 10k steps a day, MILLIONS manage it. How does 5,500 steps a day? Karl averaged less than 3 miles a day during this 'expedition'. I do that playing with my kid, walk from my home office, to the coffee station, to the bathroom, to my office, during a work day in my own home.
When you think about actual expedition and legends who completed them, I think about the first 2 people who ran the length of Africa (Nicholas Bourne in 1998 in 318 days, and Jesper Kenn Olsen in 434 days. They did 30km ish per day, no support. 10x what Karl did, in a much harder continent.

'28 YEARS'
I think the reason this is going viral is because it took him 28 years and people are taking that at face value. But if you take literally 2 minutes to appreciate how ridiculous that is, you'll understand my frustration.
For context:

• Serge Girard went from Tokyo to Paris by foot (similar distance to the 2nd half of Karl's expedition in 261 days. 8 months or so.
• Multiple people have done this length in under 2 years. In fact, 55 years old Holly Harrison WALKED Argentina to Alaska (literally the 1st half of Karl's expedition in 530 days. So 18 months or so). Including the Darien Gap.

TO THE MOON?
If he matched 55 year old walker, Holly Harrison's step count on his Alaska to Argentina walk for his '28 years' HE'D HAVE WALKED FURTHER THAN EARTH TO THE MOON, and 40,000 miles beyond it. The whole thing is ridiculous.

13 YEARS STATIONARY
Bushby has recently 'confessed' to spending 13 years stationary. However, he's still keen to push the '28 years' everywhere else. 2 things arise from this.

1. He didn't complete a 28 year journey, that's nonsense, if over a decade is stationary.
2. At least that gets his daily step count on the years he did walk to just around 10,000 steps a day.

• WHY NOT FLY HOME AND SEE YOUR SON? YOUR MUM?! GET A JOB TO FUND THE EXPEDITION?

11 YEARS TO CROSS RUSSIA?
After his truly amazing Bering strait adventure, and getting arrested by Russian authorities etc. It took Bushby 11 years to cover the 4,000 miles he had to cover in Russia to enter Mongolia. Thousands of ultra runners (me included, and I'm nothing special) can do 100km a day (especially after a decade of training, right Karl?). One 90 day visa could smash that out. Even at half that pace, 2 90 day visas could smash it out in a year. This was long before his Russian ban. The whole thing stinks.

Anyway, of course the reason this bothered me as I know how tough life is without a father. No-one to teach you what it is to be a man. To put your shoulder back. How to shave. How to date. How to kick a football. And to think Karl was drinking tequila in Mexico while his son was trying to figure that out himself, listening to Karl lie about why that was, and then for Karl to be heralded as a hero. In my opinion, it's not cool at all.

There are plenty of true legends doing amazing things to follow out there, some guy ghosting his family and pretending he's an adventurer doesn't cut it for me. Thanks for listening to my ted talk."

Taken from Facebook
By onestep4ward someone who has climbed summits and gone to N&S poles

"Karl Bushby. A fraud? Maybe. A father? Certainly not.

My take, for what it's worth. It's long, but it upsets me, so here we go.

If you don't know, Karl Bushby has returned back to the UK after a '28 year walk around the world'. And is being heralded by global media. This is something close to my heart, so I feel the need to share it too.

Karl covered 36,000 miles (58,000km) in 28 years. And also did 1 truly epic thing on the journey, namely a 14 day crossing of the Bering strait. Legendary. That's the bit that joins Alaska to Russia when it freezes during the winter. Only 8 people have done that, serious legit!

And he also crossed the Darien Gap, that's the bit that joins Panama to Colombia. Deep forest, drug runner territory (although it's very manageable, truth be told, where over 500k in only 2023 did it, still super sketchy though).

This is when it gets a bit trickier for me, as holding him up as some kind of modern Shackleton.

ABANDONED HIS SON:
First of all, and the reason I posted this, as some who grew up with no father, the fact he started this journey when his son was 8, and he just f*cked off out of the UK knowing he was leaving him behind is horrific. And selfish. His son flew to see his dad 4 times in 3 decades. The first time as a young adult. I think that tells us what his son thinks about all this.

• something particularly upsetting about this is that Karl did an American podcast stating that because he had been a British soldier, he COULDN'T go back to Belfast to see his son. I grew up in Northern Ireland, my entire 18 years of childhood, and that is quite literally a bare-faced lie. The true point here is that Karl knows that's a lie, and also knew that the American podcast audience WOULDN'T know it's a lie. And essentially he tried to cover his tracks at leaving his 8year old at home, with a fake excuse. Shameful.

ABANDONED HIS MUM:
Then his mum. She's now 78, in ill health. He's seen here 3 times in almost 3 decades. I mean, what are we doing here?

HE LIVED IN MEXICO FFS!!!
The 28 year 'journey' is basically a lie. He literally spent multiple years in Mexico. Living there. He spent OVER A DECADE not walking. He reported that himself. Multiple years on end. Still didn't visit his family though.

LESS THAN 10,000 STEPS A DAY?!
People are encouraged to do 10k steps a day, MILLIONS manage it. How does 5,500 steps a day? Karl averaged less than 3 miles a day during this 'expedition'. I do that playing with my kid, walk from my home office, to the coffee station, to the bathroom, to my office, during a work day in my own home.
When you think about actual expedition and legends who completed them, I think about the first 2 people who ran the length of Africa (Nicholas Bourne in 1998 in 318 days, and Jesper Kenn Olsen in 434 days. They did 30km ish per day, no support. 10x what Karl did, in a much harder continent.

'28 YEARS'
I think the reason this is going viral is because it took him 28 years and people are taking that at face value. But if you take literally 2 minutes to appreciate how ridiculous that is, you'll understand my frustration.
For context:

• Serge Girard went from Tokyo to Paris by foot (similar distance to the 2nd half of Karl's expedition in 261 days. 8 months or so.
• Multiple people have done this length in under 2 years. In fact, 55 years old Holly Harrison WALKED Argentina to Alaska (literally the 1st half of Karl's expedition in 530 days. So 18 months or so). Including the Darien Gap.

TO THE MOON?
If he matched 55 year old walker, Holly Harrison's step count on his Alaska to Argentina walk for his '28 years' HE'D HAVE WALKED FURTHER THAN EARTH TO THE MOON, and 40,000 miles beyond it. The whole thing is ridiculous.

13 YEARS STATIONARY
Bushby has recently 'confessed' to spending 13 years stationary. However, he's still keen to push the '28 years' everywhere else. 2 things arise from this.

1. He didn't complete a 28 year journey, that's nonsense, if over a decade is stationary.
2. At least that gets his daily step count on the years he did walk to just around 10,000 steps a day.

• WHY NOT FLY HOME AND SEE YOUR SON? YOUR MUM?! GET A JOB TO FUND THE EXPEDITION?

11 YEARS TO CROSS RUSSIA?
After his truly amazing Bering strait adventure, and getting arrested by Russian authorities etc. It took Bushby 11 years to cover the 4,000 miles he had to cover in Russia to enter Mongolia. Thousands of ultra runners (me included, and I'm nothing special) can do 100km a day (especially after a decade of training, right Karl?). One 90 day visa could smash that out. Even at half that pace, 2 90 day visas could smash it out in a year. This was long before his Russian ban. The whole thing stinks.

Anyway, of course the reason this bothered me as I know how tough life is without a father. No-one to teach you what it is to be a man. To put your shoulder back. How to shave. How to date. How to kick a football. And to think Karl was drinking tequila in Mexico while his son was trying to figure that out himself, listening to Karl lie about why that was, and then for Karl to be heralded as a hero. In my opinion, it's not cool at all.

There are plenty of true legends doing amazing things to follow out there, some guy ghosting his family and pretending he's an adventurer doesn't cut it for me. Thanks for listening to my ted talk."

Taken from Facebook
By onestep4ward someone who has climbed summits and gone to N&S poles

"Karl Bushby. A fraud? Maybe. A father? Certainly not.

My take, for what it's worth. It's long, but it upsets me, so here we go.

If you don't know, Karl Bushby has returned back to the UK after a '28 year walk around the world'. And is being heralded by global media. This is something close to my heart, so I feel the need to share it too.

Karl covered 36,000 miles (58,000km) in 28 years. And also did 1 truly epic thing on the journey, namely a 14 day crossing of the Bering strait. Legendary. That's the bit that joins Alaska to Russia when it freezes during the winter. Only 8 people have done that, serious legit!

And he also crossed the Darien Gap, that's the bit that joins Panama to Colombia. Deep forest, drug runner territory (although it's very manageable, truth be told, where over 500k in only 2023 did it, still super sketchy though).

This is when it gets a bit trickier for me, as holding him up as some kind of modern Shackleton.

ABANDONED HIS SON:
First of all, and the reason I posted this, as some who grew up with no father, the fact he started this journey when his son was 8, and he just f*cked off out of the UK knowing he was leaving him behind is horrific. And selfish. His son flew to see his dad 4 times in 3 decades. The first time as a young adult. I think that tells us what his son thinks about all this.

• something particularly upsetting about this is that Karl did an American podcast stating that because he had been a British soldier, he COULDN'T go back to Belfast to see his son. I grew up in Northern Ireland, my entire 18 years of childhood, and that is quite literally a bare-faced lie. The true point here is that Karl knows that's a lie, and also knew that the American podcast audience WOULDN'T know it's a lie. And essentially he tried to cover his tracks at leaving his 8year old at home, with a fake excuse. Shameful.

ABANDONED HIS MUM:
Then his mum. She's now 78, in ill health. He's seen here 3 times in almost 3 decades. I mean, what are we doing here?

HE LIVED IN MEXICO FFS!!!
The 28 year 'journey' is basically a lie. He literally spent multiple years in Mexico. Living there. He spent OVER A DECADE not walking. He reported that himself. Multiple years on end. Still didn't visit his family though.

LESS THAN 10,000 STEPS A DAY?!
People are encouraged to do 10k steps a day, MILLIONS manage it. How does 5,500 steps a day? Karl averaged less than 3 miles a day during this 'expedition'. I do that playing with my kid, walk from my home office, to the coffee station, to the bathroom, to my office, during a work day in my own home.
When you think about actual expedition and legends who completed them, I think about the first 2 people who ran the length of Africa (Nicholas Bourne in 1998 in 318 days, and Jesper Kenn Olsen in 434 days. They did 30km ish per day, no support. 10x what Karl did, in a much harder continent.

'28 YEARS'
I think the reason this is going viral is because it took him 28 years and people are taking that at face value. But if you take literally 2 minutes to appreciate how ridiculous that is, you'll understand my frustration.
For context:

• Serge Girard went from Tokyo to Paris by foot (similar distance to the 2nd half of Karl's expedition in 261 days. 8 months or so.
• Multiple people have done this length in under 2 years. In fact, 55 years old Holly Harrison WALKED Argentina to Alaska (literally the 1st half of Karl's expedition in 530 days. So 18 months or so). Including the Darien Gap.

TO THE MOON?
If he matched 55 year old walker, Holly Harrison's step count on his Alaska to Argentina walk for his '28 years' HE'D HAVE WALKED FURTHER THAN EARTH TO THE MOON, and 40,000 miles beyond it. The whole thing is ridiculous.

13 YEARS STATIONARY
Bushby has recently 'confessed' to spending 13 years stationary. However, he's still keen to push the '28 years' everywhere else. 2 things arise from this.

1. He didn't complete a 28 year journey, that's nonsense, if over a decade is stationary.
2. At least that gets his daily step count on the years he did walk to just around 10,000 steps a day.

• WHY NOT FLY HOME AND SEE YOUR SON? YOUR MUM?! GET A JOB TO FUND THE EXPEDITION?

11 YEARS TO CROSS RUSSIA?
After his truly amazing Bering strait adventure, and getting arrested by Russian authorities etc. It took Bushby 11 years to cover the 4,000 miles he had to cover in Russia to enter Mongolia. Thousands of ultra runners (me included, and I'm nothing special) can do 100km a day (especially after a decade of training, right Karl?). One 90 day visa could smash that out. Even at half that pace, 2 90 day visas could smash it out in a year. This was long before his Russian ban. The whole thing stinks.

Anyway, of course the reason this bothered me as I know how tough life is without a father. No-one to teach you what it is to be a man. To put your shoulder back. How to shave. How to date. How to kick a football. And to think Karl was drinking tequila in Mexico while his son was trying to figure that out himself, listening to Karl lie about why that was, and then for Karl to be heralded as a hero. In my opinion, it's not cool at all.

There are plenty of true legends doing amazing things to follow out there, some guy ghosting his family and pretending he's an adventurer doesn't cut it for me. Thanks for listening to my ted talk."

Taken from Facebook
By onestep4ward someone who has climbed summits and gone to N&S poles

"Karl Bushby. A fraud? Maybe. A father? Certainly not.

My take, for what it's worth. It's long, but it upsets me, so here we go.

If you don't know, Karl Bushby has returned back to the UK after a '28 year walk around the world'. And is being heralded by global media. This is something close to my heart, so I feel the need to share it too.

Karl covered 36,000 miles (58,000km) in 28 years. And also did 1 truly epic thing on the journey, namely a 14 day crossing of the Bering strait. Legendary. That's the bit that joins Alaska to Russia when it freezes during the winter. Only 8 people have done that, serious legit!

And he also crossed the Darien Gap, that's the bit that joins Panama to Colombia. Deep forest, drug runner territory (although it's very manageable, truth be told, where over 500k in only 2023 did it, still super sketchy though).

This is when it gets a bit trickier for me, as holding him up as some kind of modern Shackleton.

ABANDONED HIS SON:
First of all, and the reason I posted this, as some who grew up with no father, the fact he started this journey when his son was 8, and he just f*cked off out of the UK knowing he was leaving him behind is horrific. And selfish. His son flew to see his dad 4 times in 3 decades. The first time as a young adult. I think that tells us what his son thinks about all this.

• something particularly upsetting about this is that Karl did an American podcast stating that because he had been a British soldier, he COULDN'T go back to Belfast to see his son. I grew up in Northern Ireland, my entire 18 years of childhood, and that is quite literally a bare-faced lie. The true point here is that Karl knows that's a lie, and also knew that the American podcast audience WOULDN'T know it's a lie. And essentially he tried to cover his tracks at leaving his 8year old at home, with a fake excuse. Shameful.

ABANDONED HIS MUM:
Then his mum. She's now 78, in ill health. He's seen here 3 times in almost 3 decades. I mean, what are we doing here?

HE LIVED IN MEXICO FFS!!!
The 28 year 'journey' is basically a lie. He literally spent multiple years in Mexico. Living there. He spent OVER A DECADE not walking. He reported that himself. Multiple years on end. Still didn't visit his family though.

LESS THAN 10,000 STEPS A DAY?!
People are encouraged to do 10k steps a day, MILLIONS manage it. How does 5,500 steps a day? Karl averaged less than 3 miles a day during this 'expedition'. I do that playing with my kid, walk from my home office, to the coffee station, to the bathroom, to my office, during a work day in my own home.
When you think about actual expedition and legends who completed them, I think about the first 2 people who ran the length of Africa (Nicholas Bourne in 1998 in 318 days, and Jesper Kenn Olsen in 434 days. They did 30km ish per day, no support. 10x what Karl did, in a much harder continent.

'28 YEARS'
I think the reason this is going viral is because it took him 28 years and people are taking that at face value. But if you take literally 2 minutes to appreciate how ridiculous that is, you'll understand my frustration.
For context:

• Serge Girard went from Tokyo to Paris by foot (similar distance to the 2nd half of Karl's expedition in 261 days. 8 months or so.
• Multiple people have done this length in under 2 years. In fact, 55 years old Holly Harrison WALKED Argentina to Alaska (literally the 1st half of Karl's expedition in 530 days. So 18 months or so). Including the Darien Gap.

TO THE MOON?
If he matched 55 year old walker, Holly Harrison's step count on his Alaska to Argentina walk for his '28 years' HE'D HAVE WALKED FURTHER THAN EARTH TO THE MOON, and 40,000 miles beyond it. The whole thing is ridiculous.

13 YEARS STATIONARY
Bushby has recently 'confessed' to spending 13 years stationary. However, he's still keen to push the '28 years' everywhere else. 2 things arise from this.

1. He didn't complete a 28 year journey, that's nonsense, if over a decade is stationary.
2. At least that gets his daily step count on the years he did walk to just around 10,000 steps a day.

• WHY NOT FLY HOME AND SEE YOUR SON? YOUR MUM?! GET A JOB TO FUND THE EXPEDITION?

11 YEARS TO CROSS RUSSIA?
After his truly amazing Bering strait adventure, and getting arrested by Russian authorities etc. It took Bushby 11 years to cover the 4,000 miles he had to cover in Russia to enter Mongolia. Thousands of ultra runners (me included, and I'm nothing special) can do 100km a day (especially after a decade of training, right Karl?). One 90 day visa could smash that out. Even at half that pace, 2 90 day visas could smash it out in a year. This was long before his Russian ban. The whole thing stinks.

Anyway, of course the reason this bothered me as I know how tough life is without a father. No-one to teach you what it is to be a man. To put your shoulder back. How to shave. How to date. How to kick a football. And to think Karl was drinking tequila in Mexico while his son was trying to figure that out himself, listening to Karl lie about why that was, and then for Karl to be heralded as a hero. In my opinion, it's not cool at all.

There are plenty of true legends doing amazing things to follow out there, some guy ghosting his family and pretending he's an adventurer doesn't cut it for me. Thanks for listening to my ted talk."

My father is ex british army and we went to Belfast many times. Bullshitometer has the highest reading ever.

Karl Bushby’s walk around the world is a tragedy, not a triumph | The Spectator

Thanks for sharing @blubberyboo - very well said!

That isn't true. I grew up without a father and I have missed that for most of my life. I think it's more the idea of a father being around, but I have missed it. It's not true to say you don't miss what you never really had. I know my dad was a n'er do well, but as a kid and young adult, you definitely can miss it.

Apologies for sharing a DM link but his ex wife has spoken…
https://www.dailymail.com/lifestyle/family-parenting/article-16272539/ex-wife-Karl-Bushby-son-father-walked-world.html