• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Aqua para beber- drinking water

senora1

Active Member
When we walked in 2012 I used all the fountains found throughout the Camino. Usually I assumed it was good for drinking, filling up water bottles. Is this still the case? Does anyone have any reason to do otherwise? Thanks, just thinking ahead…
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
If it say "agua potable" it's fine to drink.
If it's labeled "agua no potable" stay away.
That's not quite the whole story though. On Galician caminos in particular I noticed that the authorities were covering their backs by saying the water has not been tested for drinking along the lines of 'agua/auga no probada para beber'. At which point you have to weigh up how thirsty you are, where the next nearest water source is etc.
I even saw this on a notice above the main tap in the kitchen of the modern Xunqueira albergue on the VDLP.
Caveat - I haven't been in Spain since 2018 so it's possible this approach has been updated/replaced by now.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Have always drunk from potable fuentes without any trouble.
While helping a Granny to fill up two 20l jerrycans at the Boadilla fuente (the one with the big wheel you turn to pump water) a Chilean pilgrim asked if there was no running water in her house and was told that there was, but you wouldn't want to drink it!
 
Have always drunk from potable fuentes without any trouble.
While helping a Granny to fill up two 20l jerrycans at the Boadilla fuente (the one with the big wheel you turn to pump water) a Chilean pilgrim asked if there was no running water in her house and was told that there was, but you wouldn't want to drink it!
Where my parents live in the Southern Peloponnese everyone collects drinking water from public taps. The water in the outdoor taps is clean mountain spring water. The stuff in the household taps is not very nice to drink.
 
If it's raining so hard that the streams are running brown, I buy bottled water.
Otherwise, I use the fountains along the way and I've never had a problem.

Joe once drank from a fountain labeled "non-potable."
He caught the mistake quickly, we stopped at the next bar, and he drank a couple of shots of whiskey.
No problemo! lol!
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
When we walked in 2012 I used all the fountains found throughout the Camino. Usually I assumed it was good for drinking, filling up water bottles. Is this still the case? Does anyone have any reason to do otherwise? Thanks, just thinking ahead…
Hi
Agua potable is drinking water. Agua non potable is not for drinking. That is all you need to look out for. Buen Camino
Vince
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
What about the ones that aren't labeled either way?
Unless you are in a hurry just sit and wait. If one of the locals turns up and start filling their containers you have your answer. Near Cartama Estacion, north of Malaga there is an excellent fuente, deep ground water, cool and crisp. Someone unscrews and removes the Agua Potable sign whenever the authorities put one up. Word in the Bar la Bodega has it that they don't want the @$$@% Malagueños drinking their water...
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
What about the ones that aren't labeled either way?
If it is a public fountain (but not the decorative type, the ones that look like they are drinkable), they're good water. But if in doubt, wait nd see if a local comes to use it (or ask one thay walks by).

Because I frequently walk in places where these don't exist, I carry a filter. There are many different brands of such; mine is from https://thegrayl.com which even filters out viruses. On a twelve-kilometer walk from Los Arcos to Arróniz, I refilled it three times from ditches with no ill effect. (And the next day, I learned that the guy who said there was no bus had been wrong!)
 

Most read last week in this forum

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in alberques. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what...
Do i need both these apps? I want to spend as little time my device as possible so if one app will do fine that’s my preference.
I was planning to document my journey through my blog (or Vlog, as I would probably take lots of videos). I was thinking of using my iPhone, and I ordered a foldable keyboard to facilitate typing...
I did the Norte in 2017. This set off a wild ride of changes in life - shifting many things. I am now at a new plateau and it feels like the right time to do Camino #2, this time the...
Hi to all, I'm looking for a really, really good place (an artist) to get a Tattoo in Santiago, it could be before Santiago but I presume in Santiago I will be ready to have my first one. The...
My daughter and I will be on the Portuguese on June and July starting in Lisbon. We will arrive in Porto about the 27th of June. We want to stay for three nights. Can we stay in an albergue for...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top