Is Nottingham cursed or something? :(

For the third year running, UK PonyCon weekend will have an unwanted extra in the shape of transport strikes. In 2022 and 2023 it was the trains, this time it's the trams. This isn't the place for political comments, but the practicalities of a multi-day strike over a Goose Fair weekend are not good. It won't stop me going to UKPC, but it will make the travelling that little bit more of a pain each day.

I'd already been musing over whether it's time to consider doing something else next year. This will be my tenth UKPC and sixth in Nottingham, and much as I like it I've already mentioned going to the same place every year starting to feel a little repetitive – though I can't deny that it's very well connected by road and rail and that the venue itself is pretty well set up for us convention people.

I think this latest news has swayed me to the point where if UK PonyCon is in Nottingham again next year and it clashes with the Goose Fair again, the balance of probabilities is that I won't be going to UKPC. Instead I might be choosing to attend Griffish Isles (in Manchester) or Festival of Friendship (in Southampton), or even having a year off going to conventions entirely. They're increasingly heavy hits on the wallet.

There is a compromise option: go to UKPC but only stay the Friday night, as I did in 2022. That was especially awkward as there were train strikes, and I wouldn't do it again if those recurred – but without those I could have a reasonable chunk of the Saturday at the con. It might reduce my costs to the point where I could wait until the last minute (ie when it was known if there would be strikes) before making firm plans.

As I've said, I'm still going to the con next week, and I think I'll only have to miss one late-night event on the Saturday (one that I might not have gone to anyway). But I was so hoping that for the first time since the post-Covid resumption I'd have a UK PonyCon that didn't include fretting about transport. No such bloody luck. It's very tiring, apart from anything else – and I'm not as young as I was!