Every Londoner has one Underground line they hate just that bit more than any of the others. And for me, that line is the Northern line. I am known for having opinions about Transport for London services - my thoughts on the Overground sparked a MyLondon debate I will not be backing down from any time soon.
But when it comes to the Underground, the Northern line is one of two lines I will actively try to avoid taking. The other is the Central line, with its boiling hot and stuffy carriages, and overly packed trains.
But the Northern line has consistently annoyed me ever since I first moved to London as a student seven years ago. So when I was given the task of travelling from one end of the Northern line to the other to challenge my dislike, I was filled with a deep sense of dread.
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To sit on the deepest Tube line for around 23 miles and 30 stations was not how I wanted to spend my afternoon. But as the dedicated journalist I am, I pushed through my fears and got on a Northern line Tube at Edgware, which set off at exactly 3.39pm. The carriage was quiet, and for the first few stations the Tube remains above-ground, giving me some valuable internet connection.
It wasn't too busy at first, with just a few school children chatting but none of the claustrophobic, heat-filled horror I was expecting as we made our way towards the centre of London. We reached Hampstead and at that point I had to say goodbye to my connection to the outside world.
As we dipped underground, it was noticeable how loud and noisy the Northern line is. This is not an Underground line for if you are tired, want a nap or have a headache. Unfortunately for me, I fell into all three categories, and immediately became five times more grumpy than I had been before as the Tube screamed towards Euston.
However, I was lifted out of my grump by an entertaining phone call being made by a man shouting down his iPhone about an injured pigeon in Hammersmith that needed to be taken to Ealing. Was this conversation in legit? Probably not, and was likely a TikTok stunt of some kind.
But I found it very entertaining - and those moments are definitely one of the unsuspecting pleasures of living in London. Our Tube remained fairly quiet and not too busy for a surprisingly long time, mainly getting busy between Kings Cross and Moorgate, and again from Stockwell down to Tooting.
And I also noticed that from around Kennington, I was starting to get very warm. The train moved far faster than I had expected though, and for a while I was convinced we might have been able to make it all the way to Morden in less than an hour.
Alas, it was not quite to be, and we arrived at the southern terminus of the Northern line at 4.41pm - one hour and two minutes after we started. I still found this very impressive, given how far I had travelled from. Remarkably, this jaunt on the Northern line really did help change my opinion on it, leaving just the Central line as my Underground foe for now.
Got a story for us? Email anna.willis@reachplc.com.
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