My car broke down, so I took shanks' nag home.
shanks' nag
idiomTransportation by foot. To "take a shanks' nag" means using one's own legs to walk.
Origin
first recorded 18th c. disputed originTraced back to shanks-nag, 1758; The expression -- believed to be Scottish in origin (i.e. shanks-naig 1774), refers to the use of shank to refer to the part of the human leg between the knee and ankle.
Since the bus stopped running early, we had to rely on shanks' nag to get back to the hotel.
Finding the city center inaccessible by vehicle, the weary travelers resigned themselves to shanks' nag, traversing the cobblestone streets on foot.