Potable Water on the Camino Frances

[Humbertico]

Hello Peregrinos, I will be doing the CF with my wife Set-Oct and wanted to know if the common areas on the route to fill your water bottles were safe to drink? Any recommendations as to what to look for to avoid getting sick? Gracias Humbertico

 

[CdnDreamer]

Almost all the water fountains are safe. There were a few that were not safe and they were marked - both in guides and at the fountain. I don't remember the exact wording, but someone else might be able to tell you what the signs said.

 

[naplesdon]

Any bar or cafe will refill your bottle, if you make a small purchase.

 

[Tincatinker]

No Potable means do not drink unless you have the constitution of an ox. Agua sin garantia means that the water is not subjected to regular testing as most public fountains are.

Agua Mineral means you are paying way over the odds for a small plastic bottle with a label.

 

[KinkyOne]

Agua Mineral means you are paying way over the odds for a small plastic bottle with a label.

Agua Mineral is actually Mineral water and you pay for those minerals plus some more
Agua no tratada means no chloride added.

 

[Deleted member 39850]

No Potable means do not drink unless you have the constitution of an ox. Agua sin garantia means that the water is not subjected to regular testing as most public fountains are.

Agua Mineral means you are paying way over the odds for a small plastic bottle with a label.

“Aqua sin garantia” was my favourite warning. I think I didn’t see it until I was reaching Galicia.... it just seemed so “legal”...

 

[Anamiri]

There is plenty of potable water - usually marked, so you'll be fine.
I had an interesting conversation with a guy from an outdoor store in Leon. He said the Spanish authorities are ultra cautious about the water quality. They play safe with their signage if in any doubt.
Apparently there is a public tap in Leon somewhere, where the locals use the water, but the authorities don't recommend it.

 

[MichaelC]

There were only a few stretches where I saw other pilgrims struggling with water, both in the meseta. The big baddie was an 11 km stretch after Carrion de los Condes with no shade, water, or towns. The English guide books say there's a food truck and a fountain en route. There was no food truck, and the fountain was dry. My guide book didn't mention either, so I stocked up on water and I'm glad I did ... I ended up sharing most of it with pilgrims who were getting dehydrated.

As for not getting sick, a bug swept through the camino one week last fall. Everyone who caught it (including me) were convinced they knew the source: that one fountain they drank from, or a certain dish they ate somewhere. Of course, none of us had drank from the same fountain, or eaten at the same bar, or gotten sick the same day. The consensus of the medical people en route was that is was a norovirus. Soap or sanitizer are your best defenses!

 

[KinkyOne]

There were only a few stretches where I saw other pilgrims struggling with water, both in the meseta. The big baddie was an 11 km stretch after Carrion de los Condes with no shade, water, or towns. The English guide books say there's a food truck and a fountain en route. There was no food truck, and the fountain was dry. My guide book didn't mention either, so I stocked up on water and I'm glad I did ... I ended up sharing most of it with pilgrims who were getting dehydrated.

As for not getting sick, a bug swept through the camino one week last fall. Everyone who caught it (including me) were convinced they knew the source: that one fountain they drank from, or a certain dish they ate somewhere. Of course, none of us had drank from the same fountain, or eaten at the same bar, or gotten sick the same day. The consensus of the medical people en route was that is was a norovirus. Soap or sanitizer are your best defenses!

It's 17km actually.
And sometimes there is a truck approx.halfway on the right opposite the barn (or something like it) in the shade of a few trees. And sometimes there isn't

 

[RJM]

The water from the fountains marked as "potable" is fine. No worries. No need to pollute the earth any further by buying water in plastic bottles along the Camino. Also the water in the plastic bottles comes from municipal water sources. Basically you are buying tap water in a plastic container that may, or may not leech cancerous chemicals into it. Cheers.
Besides, it is a waste of money. That money is better spent on cerveza bought in glass bottles.

 

[Anamiri]

It's 17km actually.
And sometimes there is a truck approx.halfway on the right opposite the barn (or something like it) in the shade of a few trees. And sometimes there isn't

And I remember every km of that 17.

 

[Humbertico]

Hello Peregrinos, I will be doing the CF with my wife Set-Oct and wanted to know if the common areas on the route to fill your water bottles were safe to drink? Any recommendations as to what to look for to avoid getting sick? Gracias Humbertico[/QUOTE

Thank you for all your responses below!

 

[t2andreo]

As stated, water coming from a tap in a commercial establishment is safe to drink. Along the Camino, fountains / fuentes that are safe to drink are generally labeled as mentioned above "Agua Potable' va 'No-Potable.'

The stretch of the Camino from Carrion de los Condes to perhaps Moratinos is bereft of potable water. Also, I do not recall bars / cafes along this stretch.

While there ARE fountains / fuentes along this route, most derive from shallow wells or springs that have been contaminated by agricultural runoff or fertilizers over the years. DO NOT TAKE THE CHANCE. The municipal supplies are safe however.

I always recommend that people obtain and carry extra water at Carrion de los Condes, before they cross this stretch of the Meseta. It is NOT the Sahara Desert or Death Valley! However, it is a broad, flat, unshaded agricultural area with little shade and no opportunities to refill water bottles. During the summer months, temperatures under the bright Spanish sun can exceed 40 degrees (c). Do not forget a broad brimmed sun hat too!

When I depart Carrion, I typically have a full load of two liters in 4 x .5 liter bottles, PLUS another 2 - 3 1.5 liter bottles, strapped to the top, bottom and in the side mesh pockets of my rucksack. The extra, while heavy at first, is used to help other pilgrims along the way who did not get the memo...

All said, I would point out that this remains my favorite stretch of the entire Camino Frances. I can do some of my best thinking out there.

Hope this helps.

 

[naplesdon]

I always recommend that people obtain and carry extra water at Carrion de los Condes, before they cross this stretch of the Meseta. It is NOT the Sahara Desert or Death Valley! However, it is a broad, flat, unshaded agricultural area with little shade and no opportunities to refill water bottles. During the summer months, temperatures under the bright Spanish sun can exceed 40 degrees (c). Do not forget a broad brimmed sun hat too!

When I depart Carrion, I typically have a full load of two liters in 4 x .5 liter bottles, PLUS another 2 - 3 1.5 liter bottles, strapped to the top, bottom and in the side mesh pockets of my rucksack. The extra, while heavy at first, is used to help other pilgrims along the way who did not get the memo... .

There are many stretches of the Camino where this little act of kindness applies! You may actually save a life.

 

[Humbertico]

As stated, water coming from a tap in a commercial establishment is safe to drink. Along the Camino, fountains / fuentes that are safe to drink are generally labeled as mentioned above "Agua Potable' va 'No-Potable.'

The stretch of the Camino from Carrion de los Condes to perhaps Moratinos is bereft of potable water. Also, I do not recall bars / cafes along this stretch.

While there ARE fountains / fuentes along this route, most derive from shallow wells or springs that have been contaminated by agricultural runoff or fertilizers over the years. DO NOT TAKE THE CHANCE. The municipal supplies are safe however.

I always recommend that people obtain and carry extra water at Carrion de los Condes, before they cross this stretch of the Meseta. It is NOT the Sahara Desert or Death Valley! However, it is a broad, flat, unshaded agricultural area with little shade and no opportunities to refill water bottles. During the summer months, temperatures under the bright Spanish sun can exceed 40 degrees (c). Do not forget a broad brimmed sun hat too!

When I depart Carrion, I typically have a full load of two liters in 4 x .5 liter bottles, PLUS another 2 - 3 1.5 liter bottles, strapped to the top, bottom and in the side mesh pockets of my rucksack. The extra, while heavy at first, is used to help other pilgrims along the way who did not get the memo...

All said, I would point out that this remains my favorite stretch of the entire Camino Frances. I can do some of my best thinking out there.

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much. How many bottles should we be carrying throughout the CF and what size each. 1 liter or 2 liters? My back pack has a 1 liter camel bladder . Thanks again. Humbertico

 

[kelleymac]

My son and I each carried one liter of water-- we filled our bottles up when we passed a place to fill up with potable water. Every village seemed to have a well. One place we had to ask where the well was--

We did not buy any water in plastic bottles-- though we did pick up at least a hundred off the ground in the meseta to through away.

 

[KinkyOne]

I think that generally it's much better to carry your water supply in 0,5l plastic bottles and if possible don't carry all of them in your backpack because by nature we are lazy and when you will feel thirsty you'll think that now you have to stop, to take your backpack off, to open it, to close it after drinking, to put it back on etc. and you'll just push forward without drinking. Mistake.

Keep at least one half liter bottle at hand and stop when you empty it. I don't really like to talk much while walking or listen to the music but although experienced hiker and mountaineer I have to remind myself to take a sip. I leave my GPS recorder voice on and every kilometer it reminds me to drink a bit.

 

[Ungawawa]

Call me mr moneybags, but I always just bought 1.5 litre bottles of spring water. They usually cost less than a euro each in a supermarket, don't taste of chlorine and have zero risk.

 

[martin1ws]

...
The stretch of the Camino from Carrion de los Condes to perhaps Moratinos is bereft of potable water. Also, I do not recall bars / cafes along this stretch.
While there ARE fountains / fuentes along this route, most derive from shallow wells or springs that have been contaminated by agricultural runoff or fertilizers over the years. DO NOT TAKE THE CHANCE. The municipal supplies are safe however.
....

But you can use the "non-potable" water for making your clothes wet, can't you?
... then you sweat less and need less water for drinking.

 

[Tincatinker]

I carry two 0.5 litre bottles and fill up when required from fuente, friendly bar or cafe and even, occasionally on the wilder routes, at a private house or a finca. I will double up if I think I am going to be walking all day without any possibility of a re-fill.

The trick is to never arrive at a water source with a full bottle and an empty bladder (and I don't mean those silly plastic sacks that you can run a hose from ). In pursuit of this ideal I'll drink i.r.o a litre of water in the morning while I'm getting organised, and a half-litre whenever I find a good source. The plan is to NOT carry vast quantities of heavy water but sufficient to enable hydration if the distance between sources is longer than would otherwise be comfortable.

I have watched people arrive at a fuente, empty their full water bottle, refill it and walk on. They don't bother to drink because they have the 2 or 3 litres (Kgm) they're lugging across Spain that they'll drink from if they get thirsty...

 

[naplesdon]

0.5 ltr in my pocket and 1.5 ltr in my pack, every day.

 

[t2andreo]

But you can use the "non-potable" water for making your clothes wet, can't you?
... then you sweat less and need less water for drinking.

Yes, you can do this. JUST DO NOT INGEST IT! I have wet a Buff in a roadside trough or sketchy fuente and used it to cool my head.

Aside from flat falling down dead, IMHO the worst thing that can happen to a pilgrim on the Camino is coming down with a gastrointestinal disorder from 'bad water' or some other source. Not having toilet facilities immediately available has to rank with the worst that can happen...

 

[t2andreo]

Thank you so much. How many bottles should we be carrying throughout the CF and what size each. 1 liter or 2 liters? My back pack has a 1 liter camel bladder . Thanks again. Humbertico

Everyone has their preferred amount and carry method. I use four x .5 liter bottles with stainless steel clips or Agua Clips to suspend the bottles from the front of my harness. Others carry larger bottles and use their side pockets.

To each his or her own. FYI, I only carry more than my normal load-out of 2 liters when I think I may have to assist others.

 

[t2andreo]

There are many stretches of the Camino where this little act of kindness applies! You may actually save a life.

And THAT is why I do this. Someone has to be the grown up...

 

[naplesdon]

This thread reminds me of seeing pilgrims trying to refill bottles in the irrigation troughs. When I saw them doing this I said it is "non potable" to deaf ears. While it might be clean, clear water from the mountains, it is just as likely to be water from shallow wells under pastures.

 

[trecile]

Call me mr moneybags, but I always just bought 1.5 litre bottles of spring water. They usually cost less than a euro each in a supermarket, don't taste of chlorine and have zero risk.

Many people are concerned with the plastic waste that comes from using so many disposable bottles.

 

[RJM]

How much water to carry and consume daily while walking the Camino is difficult to advise upon. So many factors involved in answering that.
What time of year?
What type of weather?
How far are you walking?
Where are you on the Camino and which Camino route?
What kind of physical condition are you in and did you dress properly for the walk in regards to the conditions?
Did you drink diuretics like coffee and cola?
Anyway, you drink enough to stay hydrated and you carry enough to ensure that. Urine yellow, dehydrated. Urine clear, hydrated.

 

[Ungawawa]

Many people are concerned with the plastic waste that comes from using so many disposable bottles.

Don't the Spanish recycle?

 

[KinkyOne]

Don't the Spanish recycle?

They do. In the cities. Most of the villages have combined trash bins. Maybe that changed but mostly that's my impression.
Now I live out of the city too and they were telling me our combined trash is being sorted. I wanted to see it and went there. They weren't lying. We are providing their income with our trash

 

[martin1ws]

Don't the Spanish recycle?

It is probably difficult to know how the recycling really works (e. g. there are many different kinds of plastic that are not sorted in the plastic garbage). Much of the European recycling-plastic got to China for recycling... I do not want to know what happened to the "recycled" plastic there.
https://futurism.com/china-is-enacting-a-plastic-waste-import-ban/

If the plastic gets disposed properly (without recycling) this is not nice but it is okay. What is really bad is when the plastic gets into nature (e. g. the sea) and the animals eat it (small plastic parts) and so on...

 

[truthseeker]

I carry two 0.5 litre bottles and fill up when required from fuente, friendly bar or cafe and even, occasionally on the wilder routes, at a private house or a finca. I will double up if I think I am going to be walking all day without any possibility of a re-fill.

The trick is to never arrive at a water source with a full bottle and an empty bladder (and I don't mean those silly plastic sacks that you can run a hose from ). In pursuit of this ideal I'll drink i.r.o a litre of water in the morning while I'm getting organised, and a half-litre whenever I find a good source. The plan is to NOT carry vast quantities of heavy water but sufficient to enable hydration if the distance between sources is longer than would otherwise be comfortable.

I have watched people arrive at a fuente, empty their full water bottle, refill it and walk on. They don't bother to drink because they have the 2 or 3 litres (Kgm) they're lugging across Spain that they'll drink from if they get thirsty...

Good strategy to drink first thing in the morning and keep topping up your drinking when the source presents itself. Using the feeling of thirst as an indicator that you need to drink some water is a dangerous fallacy.
"Don’t rely on thirst to tell you when to drink – once you are thirsty, you are already low on fluids. The best indicator of proper hydration is urine output and color: ample, light-colored urine shows that your body is well-hydrated." https://www.simmons.edu/~/media/Sim...ealth/Documents/Hydration-Brochure.ashx?la=en

 

[C clearly]

Using the feeling of thirst as an indicator that you need to drink some water is a dangerous fallacy.
"Don’t rely on thirst to tell you when to drink – once you are thirsty, you are already low on fluids. The best indicator of proper hydration is urine output and color: ample, light-colored urine shows that your body is well-hydrated

Actually this is just a very popular theory with little scientific basis. It has been told and retold until it has acquired credibility by familiarity. Dehydration is a dangerous thing, but over-reacting is not necessary and can also be harmful. See this article for example.

 

[truthseeker]

Actually this is just a very popular theory with little scientific basis. It has been told and retold until it has acquired credibility by familiarity. Dehydration is a dangerous thing, but over-reacting is not necessary and can also be harmful. See this article for example.

Agreed that overhydration is also dangerous, as outlined in the CNN article, which focused on young athletes. In my comment I was tempted to add the caution not to overhydrate, also included in the source I referenced (a pamphlet drawing on CDC info) but I don't think most ordinary people will go overboard to the extent that they end up washing out their bodies entirely. Anyway, this thread is getting rather long. As much as I love the forum, I have to return to my other activites!

 

[Deleted member 39850]

Actually this is just a very popular theory with little scientific basis. It has been told and retold until it has acquired credibility by familiarity. Dehydration is a dangerous thing, but over-reacting is not necessary and can also be harmful. See this article for example.

I actually did accidentally over-consume water between Pamplona and Puenta La Reina. I had electrolyte imbalance from it and became quite unable to hydrate properly. For the rest of my Camino, I drank less water -- maybe 500 ml per day plus 1 juice, and 2 caffe lattes, and 2 litres of *milk* every day. I need the sugars, salts, and fats to make use of the water in the milk. It may be because I have 3 kidneys and need to slow things down, keep them in my body longer. Don't know.
But I *do know* that the stuff about 8 cups of water for an ordinary day is also a distortion of the science, and that in general people do over hydrate -- causing themselves unnecessary UTI's as a one common consequence.
For me, 2.5 litres of fluid, with only 500 ml of straight water is plenty *on Camino* in the heat of summer.
Some people may prefer coconut water to milk, but the idea is the same: adding some fat, naturally occurring sugars, and salts to keep the electrolytes in balance.

 

[KinkyOne]

In 2015 I was walking the Levante for almost two weeks in similar temps as in this heatwave walkers are facing right now. It was over 40C everyday and no shade to really speak of. I knew I was sweating but my shirt was dry all the time. The sweat just evaporated and it's very misleading sing. Two or three sips of water every 15 minutes (approx 1-1,5km) will do the job either you are sweaty or not.