The 3rd edition of the #AXA #UXsummit took place in #Brussels late last year 📍

This time, I stayed a little longer 🇪🇺 #SmartWorking #BrusselsBound

The 3rd edition of the #AXA #UXsummit took place in #Brussels late last year 📍

This time, I stayed a little longer 🇪🇺 #SmartWorking #BrusselsBound

The 3rd edition of the #AXA #UXsummit took place in #Brussels late last year 📍

This time, I stayed a little longer 🇪🇺 #SmartWorking #BrusselsBound

The 3rd edition of the #AXA #UXsummit took place in #Brussels late last year 📍

This time, I stayed a little longer 🇪🇺 #SmartWorking #BrusselsBound

#AXAuX called. They said "let’s meet in #Brussels" 📍 and we gathered there for a 3rd time.

From the Berlaymont to the Parliament, this city is basically Europe's living room. And I was staying for it 🇪🇺 #EUlife #SmartWorking #BrusselsBound

#AXAuX called. They said "let’s meet in #Brussels" 📍 and we gathered there for a 3rd time.

From the Berlaymont to the Parliament, this city is basically Europe's living room. And I was staying for it 🇪🇺 #EUlife #SmartWorking #BrusselsBound

#AXAuX called. They said "let’s meet in #Brussels" 📍 and we gathered there for a 3rd time.

From the Berlaymont to the Parliament, this city is basically Europe's living room. And I was staying for it 🇪🇺 #EUlife #SmartWorking #BrusselsBound

#AXAuX called. They said "let’s meet in #Brussels" 📍 and we gathered there for a 3rd time.

From the Berlaymont to the Parliament, this city is basically Europe's living room. And I was staying for it 🇪🇺 #EUlife #SmartWorking #BrusselsBound

🚂 All aboard for an obscure rail adventure!

Today, I’m embarking on a rather unusual train journey from Bristol to Brussels for FOSDEM 2025 (1st-2nd Feb, Brussels)—the legendary free software conference. But instead of the usual Bristol > London > Brussels route, I’m taking the scenic (and slightly eccentric) path via Cambridge and London. Why? Because trains.

Here’s the fun bit: there’s a single daily train that runs directly from Bristol Temple Meads to Cambridge, and I’ve been itching to try it for years. It's a three-car Class 170 Turbostar that departs Bristol at 06:25 and rolls into Cambridge at 11:08. No changes, no Tube dashes between London terminals—just a rare, direct cross-country route. It’s the kind of obscure rail journey that makes my inner transport geek very happy.

The catch? It’s not exactly the quickest way to Cambridge (most people would change in London), and there’s no return service. But who cares when you’re ticking off a long-awaited rail oddity? To make it even better, I snagged a bargain by splitting my ticket at Worcestershire Parkway—because why not make it a little more complicated?

After two nights in Cambridge, I’ll head to London for Geomob London on Thursday evening—always a brilliant night for geo-nerds. Then, it's onwards to Brussels on Friday, ready for FOSDEM.

Speaking of FOSDEM, I’ll be running the Geospatial devroom on Saturday morning, featuring nine talks all about maps. If you’re into geospatial tech, open source, or just love maps, come along—it's going to be a great session.

So, here's to obscure train routes, split tickets, and the joy of combining travel quirks with tech conferences.

#RailGeek #FOSDEM2025 #FOSDEM #Geomob #GeomobLON #Geospatial #Trains #BrusselsBound #EuropeByRail #BetterByRail