Rural routes

postbuster · Post by **postbuster** » 31 Oct 2017, 19:20

Evening all.

I was curious on routes given to new starters.

Is a rural route a normal route to be given off the bat? I'd say half of the day is 'residential' and the other half is more rural. It's with lots of driving and driving up to farms and tracks etc with quite complex directions to get there at times, which is a bit daunting but obviously the residential is more walking.

What's peoples thoughts on this?

Cheers.

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 31 Oct 2017, 19:37

Rural can be difficult to learn but after that it's better with less walking.

joewyan · Post by **joewyan** » 31 Oct 2017, 20:50

At the end of the day a delivery is a delivery. If it has much in the way of rural then you should potentially have a day training so you know where delivery points/hazards are etc. But apart from that no reason why you shouldn’t be put onto that straight away.

postbuster · Post by **postbuster** » 31 Oct 2017, 21:00

Thanks guys. All very new to me at the moment. But so far, so good.

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 01 Nov 2017, 19:28

joewyan wrote:At the end of the day a delivery is a delivery. If it has much in the way of rural then you should potentially have a day training so you know where delivery points/hazards are etc. But apart from that no reason why you shouldn’t be put onto that straight away.

A deep rural needs two days training, not one, and it's not about hazards it's about all the ambiguous addresses, knowing the surnames for same named cottages in a hamlet, knowing properties that have two or three addresses, knowing to put the post on the kitchen table or wherever where there's no letterbox, and all sorts of other things like that.
No a delivery is not a delivery.

Dorset Plodder · Post by **Dorset Plodder** » 01 Nov 2017, 21:03

I'd say it's unusual to put a Newbie onto a Rural Duty. Our's tend to stick to the more built up areas where you can pick up a bundle and basically follow your nose. We don't tend to put Newbies straight onto a Busy High Street Duty either. All those bloody flats that are accessed by stairs around the back, or up alleys, or hidden away between two shops. Bloody Nightmare!

As mentioned previously Rurals need more training because of the spread out nature of the Deliver. Especially those little cottages tucked away up dirt tracks, you'd never find half of them using a map.

I agree Not All Deliveries are the same.

RTP · Post by **RTP** » 01 Nov 2017, 22:05

Lounge Lizard wrote:
joewyan wrote:At the end of the day a delivery is a delivery. If it has much in the way of rural then you should potentially have a day training so you know where delivery points/hazards are etc. But apart from that no reason why you shouldn’t be put onto that straight away.
A deep rural needs two days training, not one, and it's not about hazards it's about all the ambiguous addresses, knowing the surnames for same named cottages in a hamlet, knowing properties that have two or three addresses, knowing to put the post on the kitchen table or wherever where there's no letterbox, and all sorts of other things like that.
No a delivery is not a delivery.

3

joewyan · Post by **joewyan** » 01 Nov 2017, 23:10

Lounge Lizard wrote:
joewyan wrote:At the end of the day a delivery is a delivery. If it has much in the way of rural then you should potentially have a day training so you know where delivery points/hazards are etc. But apart from that no reason why you shouldn’t be put onto that straight away.
A deep rural needs two days training, not one, and it's not about hazards it's about all the ambiguous addresses, knowing the surnames for same named cottages in a hamlet, knowing properties that have two or three addresses, knowing to put the post on the kitchen table or wherever where there's no letterbox, and all sorts of other things like that.
No a delivery is not a delivery.

If you say so. I’ve only ever needed one day training if that but maybe that’s just me?

Post by **wacko74** » 02 Nov 2017, 04:03

joewyan wrote:
Lounge Lizard wrote:
joewyan wrote:At the end of the day a delivery is a delivery. If it has much in the way of rural then you should potentially have a day training so you know where delivery points/hazards are etc. But apart from that no reason why you shouldn’t be put onto that straight away.
A deep rural needs two days training, not one, and it's not about hazards it's about all the ambiguous addresses, knowing the surnames for same named cottages in a hamlet, knowing properties that have two or three addresses, knowing to put the post on the kitchen table or wherever where there's no letterbox, and all sorts of other things like that.
No a delivery is not a delivery.

If you say so. I’ve only ever needed one day training if that but maybe that’s just me?

You must have some very small and simple rurals if they only require one days training.

To the O.P. I can only echo what others have already said, rurals may seem daunting, especially to a new starter, but I'd snap their hands off and accept it... in the long term your knees, ankles, feet will thank you for it!

Creditshampoo · Post by **Creditshampoo** » 02 Nov 2017, 09:47

Some of our rurals are 40 miles long, some houses have letter boxes hidden in hedges

robbertwhitton · Post by **robbertwhitton** » 02 Nov 2017, 10:17

Yep rural are another world,a nicer one I think,pounding the streets with a hct is no fun,I salute you guys it looks a gutty slog,I think they’re reluctant to train anyone anymore,just give them the walk log and off they trot,my rural round is delightful but hard,with many characters you see on a daily basis,part of the community far removed from what the bosses in Royal Mail would like to be,but stop start and in and out of the van takes its toll but it is what it is,

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 02 Nov 2017, 18:06

Robert,
Yes "another world" isn't an exaggeration.

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 02 Nov 2017, 18:08

Creditshampoo wrote:Some of our rurals are 40 miles long, some houses have letter boxes hidden in hedges

Yes, forty miles long means time spent driving forty miles, maybe ninety minutes, which is time not spent trudging round pavements in town.

joewyan · Post by **joewyan** » 02 Nov 2017, 20:32

wacko74 wrote:
joewyan wrote:
Lounge Lizard wrote:
joewyan wrote:At the end of the day a delivery is a delivery. If it has much in the way of rural then you should potentially have a day training so you know where delivery points/hazards are etc. But apart from that no reason why you shouldn’t be put onto that straight away.
A deep rural needs two days training, not one, and it's not about hazards it's about all the ambiguous addresses, knowing the surnames for same named cottages in a hamlet, knowing properties that have two or three addresses, knowing to put the post on the kitchen table or wherever where there's no letterbox, and all sorts of other things like that.
No a delivery is not a delivery.

If you say so. I’ve only ever needed one day training if that but maybe that’s just me?
You must have some very small and simple rurals if they only require one days training.

To the O.P. I can only echo what others have already said, rurals may seem daunting, especially to a new starter, but I'd snap their hands off and accept it... in the long term your knees, ankles, feet will thank you for it!

No just common sense and the ability to learn things once I’ve been shown once and not be told time and time again how to do something! Some very long and challenging rurals in my old office.

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 02 Nov 2017, 21:05

joewyan wrote:
wacko74 wrote:
joewyan wrote:
Lounge Lizard wrote:
joewyan wrote:At the end of the day a delivery is a delivery. If it has much in the way of rural then you should potentially have a day training so you know where delivery points/hazards are etc. But apart from that no reason why you shouldn’t be put onto that straight away.
A deep rural needs two days training, not one, and it's not about hazards it's about all the ambiguous addresses, knowing the surnames for same named cottages in a hamlet, knowing properties that have two or three addresses, knowing to put the post on the kitchen table or wherever where there's no letterbox, and all sorts of other things like that.
No a delivery is not a delivery.

If you say so. I’ve only ever needed one day training if that but maybe that’s just me?
You must have some very small and simple rurals if they only require one days training.

To the O.P. I can only echo what others have already said, rurals may seem daunting, especially to a new starter, but I'd snap their hands off and accept it... in the long term your knees, ankles, feet will thank you for it!

No just common sense and the ability to learn things once I’ve been shown once and not be told time and time again how to do something! Some very long and challenging rurals in my old office.

Twice is not time and time again.
And if you seriously think "At the end of the day a delivery is a delivery" then you know very little about deep rural duties.