I do love a little adventure on the London transport network, but I wasn’t expecting to end up on a Chingford bound train this evening.
It should’ve been so simple. Two buses with an easy interchange in Shoreditch would get me to Hackney with plenty of time for dinner before a gig. Sadly the 35 took an eternity to arrive (it said it was due in 3 minutes for about 15 minutes) and abruptly decided to terminate the service with a bus full of people just south of the river.
Fortunately I know enough about bus routes to be able to bus hop to keep moving in the right direction while I worked out a revised plan. It turns out though that unless you fancy a bit of a walk, it’s not easy to get from the city to Hackney Central on the buses.
A quick walk to the back of Liverpool Street station and I had two minutes to spare for the 6.18pm London Overground train to Chingford. Rarely travelling at rush hour these days I wasn’t quite ready for a packed train, but fortunately, unlike the tube, the Overground trains feel quite spacious. Standing room only but I was only going two stops to Hackney Downs.
The next part of my mission was finding my way to Mare Street. I was advised to exit the station via Hackney Central station which sounded simple enough. I always avoid the interchange between the Northern and Central lines at Bank station as it feels like you are walking for miles. This interchange beat it! Just when I thought I was there I had to go over another bridge to get to the right side of the tracks to get out of the station. It’s a good job I was not in the anxious state I was in last week as I don’t think I’d have made the journey.
Fortunately the sun was shining and I was feeling relaxed, looking forward to a fun evening ahead. A delicious burger and chips washed down with a refreshing pint of Steady Rolling Man was the perfect reward for reaching my destination, seemingly against all odds. We got to the gig just as the support act was coming on and I stood right at the front of the stage for the main act.
The journey home was far easier. Three buses with minimal waiting at each interchange. Proof that sometimes London transport can be in your side.
Booking tickets for a gig in Hackney on a Monday night seemed like a good idea at the time, and fortunately, despite everything, it was well worth the trek across town.