Behind The Node (Part 1) The Road to Decentralisation: When Our Validator’s First Delivery Went Sideways

Patience is part of the setup.

You’d think running a validator starts with plugging in hardware and watching green lights blink. Easy, right?

Ours? It started with a courier that ghosted us at the gates, a wild goose chase through Milton Keynes, and a growing suspicion that our server might have entered witness protection.

Decentralisation, as it turns out, doesn’t always begin with uptime. Sometimes it begins with chaos.

The Story

Launching a Solana validator isn’t just about switching on a machine—it’s about proving reliability, transparency, and commitment to the network.

Our mission is clear: add real value to the Solana community while strengthening decentralisation.

That’s why we chose Milton Keynes. Until now, this location had no Solana validator presence. By setting up here, we’re directly improving geographic distribution—because decentralisation isn’t just an idea, it’s built on practical decisions like where hardware runs.

And yet, our first challenge wasn’t a technical bug, it was something far less glamorous: delivery.

How it went down:

• ✅ The good news: our server was finished, packaged, and shipped out via a major courier (you’d definitely know the name). The collection went smoothly. The package even made it all the way to the data centre gates in Milton Keynes the very next day.

• ❌ The bad news: security at the facility is tight, as it should be. There’s a process to access the gate, and it takes a few minutes. The driver, however, apparently decided patience wasn’t part of the job description. Instead of waiting, he drove off. Just like that, delivery failed.

We regrouped, rescheduled, even paid extra for redelivery. This time, we were determined. We jumped in the car to meet the courier face-to-face. All we needed to do was sign, roll in, and rack the hardware. Simple.

Except not. The courier claimed the server never left the sorting centre that morning. So we drove there ourselves—six minutes away from the data centre.

A kind staff member hunted for it, even promising to release the package if he found it. Hours passed. No server.

We went home empty-handed. A little annoyed, yes. A little amused, also yes. Because in the world of decentralisation, sometimes the biggest obstacle isn’t slashing, downtime, or key management—it’s a courier who doesn’t feel like waiting at a gate.

Why Share This With You?

Because transparency matters. Running a validator is more than uptime percentages and dashboards. It’s a story of persistence, reliability, and commitment. We want delegators—and the wider Solana community—to see the reality behind the process.

• Our contribution to decentralisation: Milton Keynes is now part of Solana’s validator map. That matters. Every unique location adds resilience to the network.

• Our contribution to trust: By sharing setbacks (not just wins), we’re showing that we value honesty as much as we value performance.

• Our contribution to the community: Beyond just running hardware, we’re telling these stories openly so delegators can see the human side of validator ops.

Because decentralisation isn’t just servers—it’s people, persistence, and yes, even courier fails.

This was only Part One of the longer journey. The server is still out there, and so are we—waiting, chasing, and ready to try again.

The next chapter will take us back to Milton Keynes, where eventually that gate will open, and our validator will finally hum to life.

Stay tuned—because if there’s one thing decentralisation is never guilty of, it’s being boring.