Everything you’ll experience living at Champion Hill

Move over Stamford Street and Stratford One, Champion Hill is the unsung hero of King’s accommodation.

True, it couldn't be further away from campus, but for all its inconveniences and flaws, if you’ve lived there, you know you love it really.
Here’s a definitive list of everything you’ll experience living at King’s infamous Champion Hill.

1. The Trek.

Despite its zone 2 status, the journey to and from campus is longer than your actual lecture. Every day you wake up and think…is it really worth it? The answer is usually no.

2. The same response every time you say you live there.

“Champion Hill? Oh yeah I’ve heard of it, I swear it’s really far away?”

3. The 68 bus.

An absolute God-send if you study at Strand campus. You’ll end up spending the majority of your uni life on this bus. Who knew memorising every shop in a South London high street would be a part of your university experience?

Who needs Uber when you've got the 68?

4. The Sainsbury’s Superstore.

It has everything you could possibly want, need or imagine. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte? School uniform? New phone? DVD? Hoover? Pickles? Vodka?

5. Spoons as your next-door neighbour.

Aw, the good ol’ Fox on the Hill. Perfect for a pre's or breakfast hangover cure.

6. More security than MI5 headquarters.

You need to tap your key card at least 5 times before you make it back to your room. Forget it if you think you’re bringing someone back to yours.

The lifts are the only thing you won't need your key card for

7. Foxes? Everywhere?

Nobody is quite sure why there’s a fox colony in the middle of South London, but after a while you don’t even question it.

8. The Hike to Sainsbury’s.

A surprisingly beautiful walk through a forest (in South London??) followed by a trek back to Champion Hill.

Hauling full shopping bags up that hill definitely counts as your exercise for the week.

9. The extremely comfortable beds.

We’re joking, of course. The nap pods at Waterloo would probably give you a better night's sleep .

Springs sticking out everywhere

10. The emails about the creepy man in his car.

You’ll receive several disturbing emails about a weird man in his car asking you for directions.

11. The pond.

No other King’s accommodation has its very own pond, (which automatically makes it the best).

Not the best idea for drunk freshers though, you definitely know someone who's jumped in after a night out.

Occasionally you'll even see ducks

12. The really posh train announcer at the station.

If you've ever caught a train at Denmark Hill station you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

13. Dodgy Trains.

Trains come once every half an hour and leave very promptly. If you're 3 seconds late to the platform, you've missed it.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Everything you will experience as a second year living in King’s halls

• Everything you will know if you’ve lived at Stratford One

•Everything you’ll experience living as a fresher at Stamford Street