FNG
One consideration with the published procedure at North Weald (requiring you to join downwind as you correctly point out) is that if you are re-joining from the east (ie where one can get a decent amount of vertical airspace to play with
), is that in order to join downwind for 02 or 20 (bearing in mind that downwind is always on the western side of the runway), you need to either scoot around to the north or the south, (both of which take you close to another airport or CTZ and possibly in a contra-direction to the prevailing circuit), or somewhere in between (perhaps in the very limited overhead).
All the while avoiding the gliders if active (always east of the field as well ie between you and your published downwind join and up to 2000' hence inhibiting the possibility of an overhead transit at 1500' to the downwind area), the para-descenders if active etc.
The ceiling is 1500' due to Stansted and the circuit height at North Weald is "not below 800' ", which means you get people circuiting from 800' upwards, sometimes to as high as 1500'.
So, despite the published downwind join, and bearing in mind that it is an Air/ground service, a join directly onto base leg from the east ie left base for 20 or right base for 02 will, providing that you are aware of and fit in around all other circuit traffic, keep you from needing to transit close to other zones, possibly against the circuit direction, or through other circuit traffic if it is perhaps not at the level one might expect. One still has to be particularly vigilant for the gliders however -they can sometimes be more difficult to spot even when you know they are there.