Humbertico
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Plan 2018
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Agua Mineral is actually Mineral water and you pay for those minerals plus some moreAgua 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”...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.
It's 17km actually.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!
And I remember every km of that 17.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
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!
There are many stretches of the Camino where this little act of kindness applies! You may actually save a life.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....
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. HumberticoAs 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.
But you can use the "non-potable" water for making your clothes wet, can't you?...
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.
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
There are many stretches of the Camino where this little act of kindness applies! You may actually save a life.
Many people are concerned with the plastic waste that comes from using so many disposable bottles.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.
They do. In the cities. Most of the villages have combined trash bins. Maybe that changed but mostly that's my impression.Don't the Spanish recycle?
Don't the Spanish recycle?
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...
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.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
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!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.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.
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