Chingford Hookups: Chingford Women Want to Meet

Casual sex in Chingford, with the forest next door

Epping Forest wraps round Chingford on the north and east, the River Lea runs down the west, and in between lie the streets of a suburban East London town of about 70,600 people, as counted in 2021. It's 9.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. Most homes went up between the wars or soon after, terraces and semis with plenty of owner-occupiers, and the shops gather in local centres such as Station Road and Chingford Mount.

The forest is the big draw. It's ancient woodland, looked after by the City of London Corporation and popular with walkers and cyclists. On Chingford Plain stands a hunting lodge built in 1543 as a grandstand for watching the deer hunt, open to the public today, while elsewhere in the forest Butler's Retreat, a listed former barn from the mid-1800s, is one of the last Victorian retreats still standing.

A drink on Station Road, then a walk in the forest

Station Road

One of the town's local centres and an easy first meeting point: public, and simple to walk away from if the spark isn't there.

Chingford Mount

Another local centre, useful when Station Road feels a bit close to home.

Chingford Plain

Open land in the forest, by the old hunting lodge. Better kept for a daytime second date than a first meeting with someone you've only seen in photos.

Or skip home turf altogether. Edmonton is about two and a half miles away on the far side of the Lea, Walthamstow just under three, and Loughton three and a half, over the line in Essex. Wherever you go, let a friend know the plan.