Taking water on the coastal Portuguese Camino

[GigiDSC]

Hi all
I am really new to this forum and so thankful I have found it. You are all wonderful people, especially Ivar who runs it.

I will be walking the Camino Portugues with my husband next year (we are ~65) and he is adamant we should do the coastal route even though I have heard that there is nowhere to buy something to drink (or to pee!) on that route. It will be our first Camino except for a 'taster' we did around 4-5 years ago on the Frances from Logrono to Burgos which was organised by someone else.

My question is, what do you use for carrying water in? I read in google that when trekking one needs to take 1/2 litre (2 cups) of water for every hour that you walk, and that's a lot! The worst of the problem is that I am not queasy about the taste of anything in life EXCEPT for the taste of water! Does anybody have experience with the new ''hydration packs' and what water tastes like with them? I have a feeling the water in them would taste rubbery or just plain foul, and I also wonder about how to keep something like that hygienic. Or maybe someone can recommend something different, preferably made of stainless steel (LOL) and not too heavy?

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Does anybody have experience with the new ''hydration packs' and what water tastes like with them?

Hi, Gigi. . .
Do you have any specific information on what those are? If you are talking about water reservoirs/bladders, they have been around for a long time.

There is a lot of discussion and information about water containers and use in the Forum. If you go to the search engine, located at the top of the page on the right side, and enter water bottles or water bladders, you will have a lot of information that might be of help. It is a frequent topic of discussion.

 

[auburnfive]

We did the Coastal route last year, no problem with water, there were enough bars, public taps, and stores that a one liter bottle could be easily refilled. Also only once or twice someone needed to find some bushes. We live on the prairies and loved the route!

 

[GigiDSC]

[/QUOTE]
Thank you, Dave. I did try the search but must have typed the wrong name for them or something. Yes, I did mean water reservoirs or bladders. Cheers!

 

[GigiDSC]

Thank you! I sure feel less apprehensive now that I know that water won't be a problem,,,!

 

[scruffy1]

Beware the Coastal Route! There are villages along the way that around lunchtime you will find restaurants, cafe/bars, even avós/abuelas right on or just by the Coastal route charcoal grilling the freshest sardines you ever ate. The aroma drifts down the Camino, the sardines bear no resemblance to the canned variety, the enticement is overwhelming. Two or three sardines what could go wrong? Washed down with a glass of vinho verde maybe two and then you spend the next hour on a bench killing you itinerary but enjoying every minute. You Have Been Warned!

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

I agree with scruffy! Walked the Coastal Camino last year with a dear friend, and we had no problems finding water. Just took a 1/2 Litre bottle, and topped it up from time to time. Plenty of small villages to walk through. I'd rate the camino maybe 7/10.
Here's a link to the bit we did:
Here is the link to "Portuguese Coastal Camino Part 1": https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xo8f7ZfgMAbU2macA

• Left click on the first picture to start seeing them all full screen.
• Click on the > on the right of the picture to move onto the next one.
• IMPORTANT: Click on the little 'i' in the circle on right-hand side for information, my comments, and maybe even a map at the bottom, showing location. etc.

Buen camino, Gigi!

 

[scruffy1]

Now in a more serious vein, I have walked the classical Caminho Português from Lisboa-working in Fatima, Batalha, the incredible library in Coimbra, the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary in Braga. I have walked the classical Caminho Português from Porto. I have also walked the Coastal Route from Porto. I love the Portuguese people, their food, their hospitality, I don't like their drivers so much but that is another issue. The walk from Lisboa is by far the most interesting, offering nature, history, art and architecture, as well as ambiance. Walking the coastal route from Porto you will be missing both the wonderful igreja de São Pedro de Rubiães and the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary in Braga. From the coastal route, there is no reason to move inland for Valença, Tui, or Porriño (one should never say a disparaging word on the Camino but the walk through Porriño is ghastly) - mush on. Should the weather be unfavorable, and should you do leave the coast remember the river detour around Porriño. Lastly, even with SdC loudly calling do give some time for Iria Flavia/Padrón the iglesia de Santiago of course and peek at the El Pedrón within, the stone in the garden is but a copy. If you are familiar with Rosalía Rita de Castro, laureate of all Galician poets, a garden and museum in her honor is nearby - if not it won't mean much. " Rosalía de Castro Selected Poems" is available in English facing Galego from Shearsman Books and will give an insight on the Galcian people. Bom Caminho

 

[surya8]

I will be walking the Camino Portugues with my husband next year (we are ~65) and he is adamant we should do the coastal route even though I have heard that there is nowhere to buy something to drink (or to pee!) on that route. My question is, what do you use for carrying water

I walked the Porugues Coastal in Jan this year. No trouble finding toilets on the way as bars, restaurants, hotels, shopping and sports centres are open in winter as well, sometimes we used the bushes though. We carried only 0.5l bottle between two of us and refilled it in the bars and drinking fonts, also had a metal cup attached to the backpack, so we drank our full when needed. It rains sometimes in winter there and it's cool, so you don't sweat much, that's why you don't really get thursty as much as in other seasons. You could do even with a regular plastic bottle for each. Tap water is safe to drink and usually tastes well, no need to buy bottled one. My winter daily blog, you could have a look at pics: https://anna-camino.livejournal.com/5457.html Bom Caminho!

 

[Dromengro]

I read in google that when trekking one needs to take 1/2 litre (2 cups) of water for every hour that you walk, and that's a lot!

If I was drinking that much I would be worrying more about finding somewhere to pee every 5 minutes.
I don't need to drink anymore walking than I would normally, possibly a bit more if it's extremely hot, or very steep, but not to that extreme.

 

[Elle Bieling]

If you really dislike the taste of water in the hydration systems, you may want to try putting in a drop of an essential oil, like peppermint in the water. This is what I do. It is very refreshing and may help you with any unwanted tastes. You WILL have to clean the water bladder out every few days, depending on you level of tolerance. The longer into the Camino, the lazier I get and the less I care!

When on the Camino, I rinse the bladder with soapy water, then fresh water, to clean it out as best as I can. Then, I stick the tube inside the bladder to keep it open and hang it in the sun so the UV light can kill any germs and hopefully dry it out completely. Works pretty good. Then when at home, I use a bit of bleach in water to clean it, rinse it extremely well and hang it in the sun again.

OR, you could just use disposable water bottles and buy new ones when it gets too bad. Seems to me that this would be your preference anyway. Or more environmentally friendly, would be a reusable water bottle that has a wide-mouth that you can get your hand into to clean it. But, I am afraid that you may not like the regular water from the tap. You can drink tap water in Portugal, but I always ask wherever I fill, to be sure. Sometimes they tell you it is safe, but it won't taste too good.

Good luck and Buen Camino!

 

[Cheryl Klampe Van Hess]

We did sendra literal coastal from Porto to Vigo. Carried disposable water bottle which we just kept refilling. When bottle got nasty, bought a new one!! My digestive system doesn’t deal well with different water so we chose to buy the big bottled water and refilled our smaller ones. For me- the peace of mind if not worrying about water was worth it and usually only paid 1 euro for the huge bottles!!

 

[trecile]

I never clean my water bladder while on the Camino, but I only put fresh water in it.

 

[JudiJay]

We did the Coastal route last year, no problem with water, there were enough bars, public taps, and stores that a one liter bottle could be easily refilled. Also only once or twice someone needed to find some bushes. We live on the prairies and loved the route!

Can only agree although a few places were still closed in May off-season, no problems finding food, drink, and places to pee.

 

[wjohnk]

We walked the Portuguese Coastal in September with temperatures at 30 deg C. Bars had freshly squeezed Orange Juice (and beer!). If you prefer not to drnk water, the local supermarkets sell packs of 200ml orage juice cartons. Of coursemMake sure the cartons are disposed of tidily.