Bilberry Reservoir

Driver Jatt

Right. I was up north hovering around Halifax and Leeds. The day had been a proper mess. The main event was a collection for a pallet. Simple job, until I got to the drop. The consignment wasn’t expected. At all. Cue the phone calls. Back and forth, me standing with the van rear doors open looking like an absolute tool! Whilst someone at head office argued with someone at the receiving end. All over a pallet they’d ordered and then forgotten about. The threat of a reject hung in the air, which meant a drive all the way back with the load. A total waste of fuel, time, and my patience. Worse, it’s a pallet. That’s not a parcel you can shove out the way and drop off on the return leg. It blocks the van, affects all the follow on work and ruins your earnings for the day. Not what you want.

Eventually, they took it. Grudgingly. By the time I’d sorted the paperwork, my head was buzzing. The drive home was supposed to be a reset, but I was just grumbling to myself, going over the wasted hour.

That’s when I saw the sign. ‘Bilberry Reservoir’. Usually these sort of places have a trial to walk around and it didn’t disappoint.

This place is a beautiful spot located in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It’s known for its scenic views, serene surroundings and a stunning place for hiking, bird watching (if that’s your thing) or general walks. Right then, I needed the ‘serene surroundings’. I parked up, got out and just started walking. Now I admit I usually keep walking boots in the van for moments just like these! Fellow drivers take note 🙂

The reservoir itself is nestled amidst rolling hills and lush greenery. As you walk around it you feel as though you are taken away from the hustle and bustle. I know that’s such a cliche right. From the pointless phone calls, from the pallet, from the whole faff. For around an house or so, you aren’t a courier with a problem. You’re just a bloke walking by some water. It really isn’t that big, but big enough to walk the rage out. Big enough to get your head straight.

That’s what this job gives you. The chaos is a given, the unexpected rejects, the pallets, the admin nightmares. But so is the chance to find a Bilberry Reservoir twenty minutes off the motorway. To literally walk it off. It’s a pressure valve. By the time I got back to the van, the pointless argument in Halifax was out of my system. The motorway ahead was all about 80s music whilst I cruise home.

Enjoy the pics. I enjoyed taking them. More than I enjoyed that pallet, that’s for sure.