I sometimes have occasion to visit Westfield Stratford City, and today was one of those days. I was meeting the Daughter and Boy Too for coffee and lunch, and our annual visit to the sales - I needed a wedding garment, and was delighted to score one in Monsoon at half price; it would have been rude not to, really.
Anyway, I decided, just for fun, to catch a Javelin train to St Pancras to start me on my way home. These go from Stratford International, as opposed to Stratford City, which is the main rail hub, and are not covered by my Freedom Pass, alas (but they do benefit from a Senior Railcard deduction).
When I got to St Pancras, I decided to come home on the Thameslink to Loughborough Junction, as it's simply ages since I went that way, and then a 35 bus.
That started me thinking of all the sensible ways I can go between home and Stratford. I am not counting going on the northbound Overground from Clapham Common, as really, that isn't reasonable (it is fun, though), or any other completely ridiculous way. But there are plenty of sensible ways.
The quickest, according to Citymapper, is to go from Clapham North to Bank on the Northern Line and then change to the Central Line. I don't like that route, as it seems to have an inordinate number of steps, although I expect there are slightly less step-ridden ways. I prefer to change at London Bridge on to the Jubilee line - today I found the step-free route to do that, which is a plus.
One can also change at Bank on to the DLR, and then change again at Poplar (or at Canning Town, but that is two sides of a triangle).
Avoiding the Northern Line, one can go by bus - 35 or 133 - to Liverpool Street and then catch either the Central Line or a "proper train". I've done that in my time.
You could go on the Victoria Line to Oxford Circus and then the Central Line.
Or you could go on the Victoria Line to Tottenham Hale and then a "proper train", which is a lovely route, but a bit two sides of a triangle.
Or you could go on the Victoria Line to King's Cross St Pancras, and then get a Javelin train (cost £5.00 or £3.50 with a Railcard).
Or you could get a 59 bus to St Pancras, ditto.
Or the Thameslink from Loughborough Junction or Herne Hill, although as trains are only every half an hour to 20 minutes, you would need to time that one. Also it needs a bus to the station.
Or you could get the Overground from Clapham High Street and change at Canada Water to the Jubilee Line.
It's amazing how many different ways of travelling to/from there are! Yet to go to my daughter's, only a few miles from Stratford, the only realistic options are the Victoria Line, or, failing that, to go to Liverpool Street and get a Chingford Line train.
