Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair. She is outside wearing a coat and hat and is taking a selfie as she is walking a kilometre backwards

Walking a Kilometre Backwards

31st December 2025 - New Experience Number 51.

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Walking a kilometre backwards meant fully embracing being an oddball in the wild.

On paper, it sounded ridiculously easy.

In reality, it turned out to be one of the most disorientating things I’ve ever done.

And yes, I am fully aware how ridiculous this sounds.

Why I Tried Walking A Kilometre Backwards

I’d thought about walking a kilometre backwards many times before actually doing it.

The pressure of the deadline to achieve my 52 new things in the year brought it right to the top of my to-do list.

Wondering what the hell people would think about someone walking backwards, I put my best foot backwards and gave it a go.

Unexpected Nerves

I’m a dab hand at walking. I’ve been practising for decades and generally consider myself fairly competent at it.

Looking down at a pair of legs and feet that appear to be walking on tarmac. The legs are wearing blue trousers, and walking boots.
I have quite a bit of walking experience

The thought of walking backwards felt straightforward and easy when I first decided to do it, but it was really strange that I began to feel a little nervous about it when it came to actually doing it.

The biggest apprehension was seeing other people. I mean, seeing someone walking backwards is not an everyday occurrence is it? What random comments might I get? Would I bump into anyone? What if I fell over?

I hadn’t anticipated feeling so self conscious about walking backwards in public until I was about to step out of the door.

I’ve learnt through trying 52 new things a year since 2018, that people are usually so caught up in their own worlds that they don’t pay attention to others, but even reminding myself of that didn’t make me feel any less awkward about it.

Walking Backwards

I chickened out and decided I wasn’t going to walk backwards on busy streets. Instead I walked the regular way around to a route which would take me off the traffic heavy roads and along a path for pedestrians and bikes.

At the start of the path, I turned around, and began.

Those first few steps felt slightly familiar, but as I put one foot behind the other and kept on going, it began to feel stranger and stranger.

It felt like I was going to trip up at any moment. It felt ridiculously slow, and it felt weird!

A tarmac path winding across a field towards trees on a bright but cloudy day. A good venue for trying walking a kilometre backwards
Walmgate Stray, a good venue for giving it a go

There were frequent glances over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t about to trip over anything or collide into anyone.

I looked down at my feet as they repeated a familiar action but in reverse. For something that sounds so easy in principle, it was unfathomable to my brain why I wasn’t moving at my normal speed. Apparently decades of walking forwards don’t automatically translate to the backwards version.

Tentatively turning a corner, I peeked behind me to make sure I wasn’t about to crash into a cyclist. Keeping my feet close to the edge of the kerb, I hoped this would keep me on a fairly even path and would prevent any wanderings into the middle of the main thoroughfare.

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair wearing a blue coat and red hat. She is taking a selfie as she walks backwards on a path through a field.
Regular over the shoulder glances
Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair wearing a blue coat and red hat. She is walking along a footpath outside near some brick buildings.
A familiar location felt unfamiliar
Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair wearing a blue coat and red hat. She is looking at the camera as she is taking a selfie whilst walking backwards on a path through a field.
A much slower pace than usual

I Hadn’t Expected To Feel This Way When Walking A Kilometre Backwards

One kilometre takes me on average, ten minutes to walk. Looking at my watch, I was already well over my usual time for a kilometre, and yet I’d only covered 500 metres. I tried not to feel too disheartened that I wasn’t about to set any backwards speed records!

The last stretch of the walk was up a slight incline. My legs felt odd. This was using muscles in a way they were certainly not used to and I could feel my thighs obligingly working but questioning what was happening.

A sports watch indicating 1kilometre has been reached in a time of 22 minutes and 32 seconds.
A relief to be able to finish

The strangest thing was the feeling of disorientation. The route was one I regularly take on my daily run and it was all very familiar, but my head began to feel a little fuzzy as sensations of motion sickness started to creep in. That caught me off guard.

Checking my Garmin watch as it tracked my distance, it was a sweet relief when I finally reached the one kilometre mark. I was very grateful to turn around and walk forwards again.

Did Anyone Say Anything?

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair wearing a blue coat and red hat. She is taking a selfie and pointing at some people in the background outside.
People didn't seem at all fazed

It was fairly quiet when I tried walking backwards, perhaps people have better things to do on New Year’s Eve rather than racing to complete a self-inflicted random challenge!

Walking backwards meant I couldn’t easily make eye contact with anyone coming in the opposite direction unless I looked over my shoulder. As for anyone walking in the same direction as me, well, there were some bizarre moments of eye contact, and it really brought home how slowly I was walking as they soon overtook me.

Nobody batted an eyelid at my unusual antics. Nobody said anything to me, nobody laughed and pointed, but I did get a smile from one of the few people who I passed.

Something that I’d overthought and felt nervous about was clearly unremarkable to anyone else, and that was a pleasant surprise.

The Benefits Of Walking Backwards

I always post the new things I try on social media, and I got a great comment on walking backwards saying that it’s apparently really good for us. Well, this piqued my interest so I delved into it.

Apparently, walking backwards, also known as Retro Walking, is not just good physically, but also mentally.

According to the BBC, it’s supposed to have many benefits for the back as it stretches the hamstrings, and for knees as it reduces the stress on the joint whilst still building strength. 

Mentally, walking backwards gives the prefrontal cortex a work out. It’s also brilliant for creative thinking – by doing something different it requires our brains to pay attention and think a little differently. 

And getting out into the fresh air is always a winner too.

Amazing Backward Walkers

I’m certainly not the first person to walk a distance backwards, and discovering an article on Ultra Running History, there have been some seriously impressive retro walkers – often as the result of a bet!

John Townsend walked 21 miles backwards in Bath in 1821, and Patrick Harmon apparently walked backwards from San Fransisco to New York in 1915, a distance of 6,300 kilometres!

Would I Try Walking Backwards Again?

Absolutely! It’s weird but it’s also wonderful.

I’m not confident enough to do it anywhere very busy – now it’s the fear of bumping into people rather than feeling nervous about what people might say.

However, it’s a great, free activity to do that definitely shakes up the routine and can help energise the mind and boost some creative thinking!

A strava map showing the route for the walking a kilometre backwards challenge
The route and the stats from Strava

Trying New Things Changes Your Perspective

This new thing literally changed my perspective. I loved that it sounded simple on paper, but when it came to actually doing it some unexpected things arose.

It was physically a step out of my comfort zone, and even though the actual act of walking wasn’t daunting, the thought of encountering other people and their reactions did put me on edge, until I realised nobody paid me any attention.

Some people have laughed when I’ve told them I walked a kilometre backwards. Fair enough – it does sound ridiculous.

But I’m fairly certain most of them haven’t actually tried it.

If they did, they’d quickly discover it’s far more difficult, disorientating, and interesting than it first appears.

Trying new things helps you form your own opinions instead of relying on assumptions – and that’s exactly why I keep doing it.

Want To Try It Yourself?

  • This is easy to try! Just find yourself somewhere safe and wear flat shoes.
  • You might want to plot your route before you go so you know your distance. I use plot a route to help me map out routes.

Cost Of Experience

  • This new thing is completely free!

Recommendations

  • Check the forecast. So you can dress according to the weather.
  • Consider taking a friend. If you’re a little nervous about tripping or other people, why not take someone along with you for moral support. 
  • Take some pictures. Capture the madcap activity, and let me know how you get on if you give it a go.

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