Water Quality on the French Route: Can You Drink from the Tap/Sink?

[KariannNor]

How is the water quality at the Frence route? Can you drink from the sink or do you have to buy bottles?

 

[KariannNor]

Ha ha, google translate messed my heading up.. should be something like "Water to drink"

 

[Bradypus]

Spanish tap water is safe to drink. If public fountains are unsafe or untested then there will usually be a warning sign to say so.

 

[trecile]

Ha ha, google translate messed my heading up.. should be something like "Water to drink"

"Drinking water" is exactly the right phrase.

 

[Anhalter]

As been said, it usually is no problem to drink the water from faucet or fountain. They do however use chlorine to make it safe (not everywhere). Some have more, some have less problems with the taste. I bought water in the stores. Also no problem.

 

[Former member 59618]

There are many potable water fountains, or “fuentes”, along The Way. Anything unsafe will be labeled “non potable”.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

As been said, it usually is no problem to drink the water from faucet or fountain. They do however use chlorine to make it safe (not everywhere). Some have more, some have less problems with the taste. I bought water in the stores. Also no problem.

Yes, I find the tap water here in Spain tastes strongly of chemicals.

 

[Esperanza]

I have always only drunk tap water while in Spain, from indoor taps and the outdoor fuentes. It’s fine, but do watch for any ‘No Potable’ signs. Do the planet a favor and stop buying water in plastic bottles.

 

[J Willhaus]

I usually buy one plastic water bottle at the beginning of my Camino and then refill it from the tap and use it till it begins to leak or becomes otherwise non-functionable. Yes, we always drink tap water.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Sometimes the town doesn't want to pay for water quality testing [of their fuentes] but they know it is good and the locals use it. Apparently, in this case, they are allowed to sign it as Water quality not guaranteed.

[Edited after being quoted a couple of times.]

 

[Former member 107885]

I usually buy one plastic water bottle at the beginning of my Camino and then refill it from the tap and use it till it begins to leak or becomes otherwise non-functionable. Yes, we always drink tap water.

Well done. Stayed in a hostel recently which really focused on the environmental ‘cost’ of bottled water, driving people to refill. It was quite an eye opener!

 

[klimmo]

The (european) guidelines for tap water are actually more stringent than for source water. With the new set of rules (countries need to conform by 2027), tap water quality will improve even more. No more need for those pesky single use plastic bottles. Bring one and just keep filling it up!

 

[Flog]

Can you drink from the sink? Probably best not to, unless you're a horse or something.

But you can drink from the tap anywhere in Spain and from most fonts too unless a sign says otherwise.

 

[ANGLICO1]

Can you drink from the sink? Probably best not to, unless you're a horse or something.

But you can drink from the tap anywhere in Spain and from most fonts too unless a sign says otherwise.

Yes you can. Drink up..

I went to the market when I first arrived and paid like 70 cents for a liter of water. Then I asked the cashier why it was so inexpensive, she said the water is perfectly fine to drink in Spain, we use bottled water for special purposes inly like baby stuff.

 

[Esperanza]

Sometimes the town doesn't want to pay for water quality testing but they know it is good and the locals use it. Apparently, in this case, they are allowed to sign it as Water quality not guaranteed.

Yes, I have seen this several times. One time we were staying at an albergue and had noticed several times cars pulling up to a fuente across the street to fill jugs of water. The next morning we stopped there to fill our water bottles, and saw the sign. It was only in Spanish, and I don’t recall the exact wording. We drank the water and had no problems.

 

[trecile]

Sometimes the town doesn't want to pay for water quality testing but they know it is good and the locals use it. Apparently, in this case, they are allowed to sign it as Water quality not guaranteed.

Just to note - this only applies to the public outdoor fountains, the water from bathroom and kitchen sinks is always safe to drink.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Just to note - this only applies to the public outdoor fountains, the water from bathroom and kitchen sinks is always safe to drink.

It's so easy to lead one astray, isn't it? You're correct. I'm editing my post to indicate fuentes.

 

[Ianinam]

A tip: when you are running out of water while you are really thirsty: in every little village you will find a cemetery/graveyard where you will find a tap! Spanish people keep very good care of their deceased loved ones, inclusief watering the flowers of their graves.

 

[KB Jaffe]

Can you drink from the sink? Probably best not to, unless you're a horse or something.

But you can drink from the tap anywhere in Spain and from most fonts too unless a sign says otherwise.

But i always fill my water bladder from the sink ?!?!

 

[Jodean]

Buy a metal bottle to use on years of Caminos. If all 428,000 pilgrims last year only bought one plastic disposable bottle to use during their Camino, this is still almost half a million plastic bottles.

 

[Ianinam]

But i always fill my water bladder from the sink ?!?!

I suppose you mean from the tap above the sink? I would not like to drink from the sink itself...

 

[RJM]

I too am of the refill your water bottles club and I've probably drank hundreds of liters of water from sinks and fountains along the Camino and never gotten any ill effects.
Spain is a first world country, BTW

 

[backpack45]

How is the water quality at the Frence route? Can you drink from the sink or do you have to buy bottles?

From the sink and from many fountains, but avoid any that say "agua no potable", etc. You can also bring a water bladder that fits in your backpack (my preference), or a reusable bottle that you can refill at the albergue rather than adding to the plastic waste that none of us need.

 

[Vince Rollason]

Ha ha, google translate messed my heading up.. should be something like "Water to drink"

Spanish tap water is perfectly safe to drink. At fountains etc if it is labelled Agua Potable this is drinking water. Agua Non Potable it is not drinking water.
Buen camino
Vince

 

[Manfred67]

Yes, I find the tap water here in Spain tastes strongly of chemicals.

You have to fill your bottle before night. Then leave it open over night. Next morning the majority of chlorine disappeared.

 

[Bert45]

Can you drink from the sink? Probably best not to, unless you're a horse or something.

But you can drink from the tap anywhere in Spain and from most fonts too unless a sign says otherwise.

Flog was attempting humour, taking "drink from the sink" literally, which KariannNor may not have understood. You can drink water from the tap above the sink quite safely. But use the cold tap for drinking water if there are two taps.

​

 

[KariannNor]

Noen ganger vil ikke byen betale for vannkvalitetstesting, men de vet at det er bra og lokalbefolkningen bruker det. Tilsynelatende, i dette tilfellet, har de lov til å signere det som vannkvalitet ikke garantert .

Takk for alle gode tilbakemeldinger! En av grunnene til spørsmålet mitt var nettopp fordi jeg vet at flasker som selges i for eksempel Spania noen ganger ikke er resirkulerbare. I mitt hjemland er det strengt forbudt å selge flasker som ikke kan resirkuleres. Det er fortsatt et paradoks at vi selger vannet vårt til andre land som «verdens reneste», men vi vet faktisk ikke i hvilke oppbevaringsflasker det selges i mottakerlandet. Vel, jeg tar med mine norske resirkulerbare flasker, og fyller dem med ok kvalitetsvann. Og Frog, ha ha, ikke google translate igjen. Men litt bekymret for å kun bruke det kalde vannet hvis man må la det gå lenge, hørte at mange land har mangel på vann.. vel, fikk svar på spørsmålet mitt, fortsatt veldig interessant å høre om alles erfaringer og vaner ..

 

[Bert45]

Takk for alle gode tilbakemeldinger! En av grunnene til spørsmålet mitt var nettopp fordi jeg vet at flasker som selges i for eksempel Spania noen ganger ikke er resirkulerbare. I mitt hjemland er det strengt forbudt å selge flasker som ikke kan resirkuleres. Det er fortsatt et paradoks at vi selger vannet vårt til andre land som «verdens reneste», men vi vet faktisk ikke i hvilke oppbevaringsflasker det selges i mottakerlandet. Vel, jeg tar med mine norske resirkulerbare flasker, og fyller dem med ok kvalitetsvann. Og Frog, ha ha, ikke google translate igjen. Men litt bekymret for å kun bruke det kalde vannet hvis man må la det gå lenge, hørte at mange land har mangel på vann.. vel, fikk svar på spørsmålet mitt, fortsatt veldig interessant å høre om alles erfaringer og vaner ..

It is preferable to take water from the cold tap to drink, as (a) it is the obvious one to use. You would not want to drink warm water or hot water. (b) because the water may have been sitting in a tank for hours, so if there are any bugs (bacteria) in it, they've had plenty of time to multiply. The first water out of the hot tap may be cold if nobody has used it for a while, so you may think it's OK.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Buy a metal bottle to use on years of Caminos. If all 428,000 pilgrims last year only bought one plastic disposable bottle to use during their Camino, this is still almost half a million plastic bottles.

Do you think metal bottles have less impact on the environment?

 

[hikentravel1234]

A tip: when you are running out of water while you are really thirsty: in every little village you will find a cemetery/graveyard where you will find a tap! Spanish people keep very good care of their deceased loved ones, inclusief watering the flowers of their graves.

WOW, good to know!!

 

[dougfitz]

Do you think metal bottles have less impact on the environment?

I think people who focus on plastic waste tend to ignore the resource costs of producing the alternatives in metal and other materials. The cost of these bottles indicates to me that they have a far more significant upstream effect than thin-walled plastic bottles. Neither effect is desirable - the upstream resource cost and the downstream pollution problem we create when we don't dispose of plastic waste properly.

I don't agree that using metal bottles is necessarily the best solution, although some might choose that path. I would rather minimise my use of plastic bottles by re-filling them until that isn't practical any longer, and then disposing of them where they will be recycled and they don't become waste in the environment.

 

[klimmo]

Do you think metal bottles have less impact on the environment?

Well people who have a metal bottle are more inclined to re-use it than single use plastic bottles. And the problem with plastic is that once it's there, it's there. It's still not very recyclable, and thus creates an unnecessary waste. And we have already enough waste on this earth that we don't know how to deal with, so in my opinion, every little step that we do to avoid more waste is a good thing. A solid re-usable plastic bottle is fine too, and much lighter than metal. As long as you use it for its whole lifecycle (and as it is made from plastic it will probably outlive you).

 

[RJM]

Do you think metal bottles have less impact on the environment?

I believe what they are referring to is the wastefulness of one use plastics such as water and soda bottles, grocery bags etc. (just to name a few). These one use plastics have a horrible impact on the environment as waste (and they are zero biodegradable) and in fossil fuel use as they are products of the petroleum industry as is all plastic.
They're advocating reusable water containers while walking the Camino, whether it be plastic or metal or whatever.
The jist of this entire thread is that there is no need to drink only bottled water when walking the Camino as the tap and fountain water is safe to drink.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I always bring two sturdy Smartwater bottles purchased from home on every Camino. Those same two bottles have often lasted me for two complete Caminos before needing to be replaced and tossed in a recycle bin. I do not purchase any plastic bottles for use at home.
P.S. I very rarely drink soda from a plastic bottle or a can.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Do you think people who buy a metal bottle never buy a drink in a plastic bottle? Usually they do both. They have a metal bottle for water, then they buy soda in a plastic bottle anyway, which they could have used for water as well.

 

[Flog]

And just to throw a bird into the jet engine...

The environmental impact of a plastic bottle might be a mute point in the context of a camino when we consider a single conscientious individual taking a medium long haul flight to Spain, could personally burn upwards of a tonne of kerosene..

 

[Philtration]

To be technically correct based on the post heading, you can only drink from the tap at the Irache fountain in Ayegui

 

[Shells]

If you want added reassurance, places like REI sell water bottles with filters that are reusable. I’ve used mine in various places where the water was not guaranteed to be potable, such as rural Colombia and Peru), with no problems.

 

[klimmo]

And just to throw a bird into the jet engine...

The environmental impact of a plastic bottle might be a mute point in the context of a camino when we consider a single conscientious individual taking a medium long haul flight to Spain, could personally burn upwards of a tonne of kerosene..

It's all about awareness. Good discussion to have on Earth Day! Let's be good stewards of the one earth that we have.

 

[dougfitz]

These one use plastics have a horrible impact on the environment as waste (and they are zero biodegradable) and in fossil fuel use as they are products of the petroleum industry as is all plastic.

Two points:

• drink bottles are not inherently single-use. It is people who make them so, from the bottle manufacturers through the water and soft drink producers and then through the entire value chain. It has become based on forward movement of product, without any return movement of the waste produced. There are single use plastic films such as those that remain in retail packaging, but I think these have a very limited life in most countries around the world. And many of those were capable of being put to a secondary use, albeit that was probably limited.
• it is incorrect to say that all plastics are products of the petroleum industry. Although that industry might still dominate plastic manufacture for some time to come, that seems to be changing. Bioplastics are being developed that will reduce the level of reliance on petroleum sourced hydrocarbons for plastic manufacture.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

And just to throw a bird into the jet engine...

Love this!

 

[Katherine Radeka]

Two points:

• drink bottles are not inherently single-use. It is people who make them so, from the bottle manufacturers through the water and soft drink producers and then through the entire value chain. It has become based on forward movement of product, without any return movement of the waste produced. There are single use plastic films such as those that remain in retail packaging, but I think these have a very limited life in most countries around the world. And many of those were capable of being put to a secondary use, albeit that was probably limited.
• it is incorrect to say that all plastics are products of the petroleum industry. Although that industry might still dominate plastic manufacture for some time to come, that seems to be changing. Bioplastics are being developed that will reduce the level of reliance on petroleum sourced hydrocarbons for plastic manufacture.

We are not far away from plastics made with captured carbon although they’ll be expensive at first.

 

[RJM]

Two points:

• drink bottles are not inherently single-use. It is people who make them so, from the bottle manufacturers through the water and soft drink producers and then through the entire value chain. It has become based on forward movement of product, without any return movement of the waste produced. There are single use plastic films such as those that remain in retail packaging, but I think these have a very limited life in most countries around the world. And many of those were capable of being put to a secondary use, albeit that was probably limited.
• it is incorrect to say that all plastics are products of the petroleum industry. Although that industry might still dominate plastic manufacture for some time to come, that seems to be changing. Bioplastics are being developed that will reduce the level of reliance on petroleum sourced hydrocarbons for plastic manufacture.

Everything you just said there isn't the norm now, and are the exception and a lot of wishful thinking about things that may or may not happen.
The overwhelming majority of plastic water bottles worldwide are single use because that's how they're used. Very few people reuse a plastic bottle the way referred to on this thread.
Your comment seems to me to be contradiction for contradiction sake.

 

[RJM]

Seems like there's a few champions of the single use plastic water bottles in this forum. It's ok, folks. The water in Spain's taps and fountains is just fine.

 

[Tincatinker]

I’m followed this thread with mild interest. The OP was a, probably innocent, but still classic, 1st world and privileged question. “Is “foreign” water safe to drink”. The only true answer is no, of course not, it’s foreign. The trouble is all that lovely water in the nice clean plastic bottle comes from the same country, from the same aquifer. The obvious solution is to bring all the water you might need with you from home. There may be challenges getting 2000 liters into your backpack and into the overhead locker on the ‘plane but compared to accepting that Spain is a 1st world country with remarkably exacting hygiene rules… we’ll, where’s the challenge

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Everything you just said there isn't the norm now, and are the exception and a lot of wishful thinking about things that may or may not happen.
The overwhelming majority of plastic water bottles worldwide are single use because that's how they're used. Very few people reuse a plastic bottle the way referred to on this thread.
Your comment seems to me to be contradiction for contradiction sake.

In many countries plastic water bottles are reused for all sorts of things.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

This may seem a bit off-topic, but I was recently in Florida and saw this real surfboard turned into artwork, exclusively made from beach trash, including water bottles turned into "clouds". I thought it very creative and a great re-cycle idea. If you expand the areas, you will see everything; from a toothbrush...to a cheetos snack bag. It was very clever and impressive, imo.

 

[Tincatinker]

In many countries plastic water bottles are reused for all sorts of things.

Indeed. In Kerala I’ve seen them being used to be refilled from the local wells before being resold to the tourists.

 

[KariannNor]

Takk for alle gode tilbakemeldinger! En av grunnene til spørsmålet mitt var nettopp fordi jeg vet at flasker som selges i for eksempel Spania noen ganger ikke er resirkulerbare. I mitt hjemland er det strengt forbudt å selge flasker som ikke kan resirkuleres. det er fortsatt et paradoks at vi selger vannet vårt til andre land som «verdens reneste», men vi vet faktisk ikke i hvilke oppbevaringsflasker det selges i mottakerlandet. Vel, jeg tar med mine norske resirkulerbare flasker, og fyller dem med ok kvalitetsvann. Og Frog, ha ha, ikke google translate igjen. Men litt bekymret for å kun bruke det kalde vannet hvis man må la det gå lenge, at andre land har hørt på vann.. vel, fikk svar på spørsmålet mitt, fortsatt veldig interessant å høre om alle erfaringer og vaner ..

Og bare for å kaste en fugl inn i jetmotoren...

Og bare for å kaste en fugl inn i jetmotoren...

Miljøpåvirkningen av en plastflaske kan være et stumt punkt i sammenheng med en camino når vi vurderer en enkelt samvittighetsfull person som tar en mellomlang flyvning til Spania, personlig kan brenne mot et tonn parafin.

Dette kan virke litt off-topic, men jeg var nylig i Florida og så dette ekte surfebrettet forvandlet til kunstverk, eksklusivt laget av strandsøppel, inkludert vannflasker omgjort til "skyer". Jeg syntes det var veldig kreativt og en flott gjenbrukside. Hvis du utvider områdene, vil du se alt; fra en tannbørste ... til en cheetos snackpose. Det var veldig smart og imponerende, imo.

View attachment 145443

Fantastic !! actually, I am a teacher in a country with an extremely long coastline, my students pick tons of plastic trash from other countries and make a lot of art like this out of it

 

[dougfitz]

Your comment seems to me to be contradiction for contradiction sake.

No, it is for accuracies sake. The issue is that we, as humans, allow these plastics to remain in the environment as waste. This is irrespective of whether they are genuinely single use, which clearly they are not even if that is how most of them might be used. Focussing on the plastic bottle and not on the human behaviour is what I am taking issue with.

 

[trecile]

There may be challenges getting 2000 liters into your backpack and into the overhead locker on the ‘plane

That would be a lot of 100 ml bottles!

 

[YogaAnabel]

The water in Spain is perfectly safe to drink.

 

[Kirkie]

How is the water quality at the Frence route? Can you drink from the sink or do you have to buy bottles?

In Spain, in homes, water is potable from any tap in the house. Outside, or in any building, unless there is a notice saying no potable, drink away to your heart's content. If I repeat what has been said above, just ignore me!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I want to add a caution to using outdoor faucets. I don't trust that signage is put up saying whether the water is potable or not. Cemeteries or other places with large expanses of lawn (or even homes getting municipal water) may use well water and this can be easily polluted between testings.

 

[dougfitz]

I don't trust that signage is put up saying whether the water is potable or not.

It's the absence of any signage that normally worries me, and I look for other indications about whether I want to use water from a particular source. A font clearly marked 'non-potable' is a no-brainer, but as has been pointed out, there might be other signs meaning not tested or not treated. Both of those I leave alone. My other indication is whether a free-flowing font is downhill from cultivated land, or from open forest. I think there are more risks with the latter of agricultural chemicals - fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides - being present.

I have met people who won't even contemplate collecting water downhill from forested areas at all for fear of specific animal-borne pathogens. I have met others who were prepared to refill from an unlabelled well in the middle of ploughed fields without any treatment. I found both to be odd responses to what I saw as the risks or lack of them.

When I have been forced by circumstances to collect water, I looked for free flowing sources and collected it upstream of possible contamination zones, like bridges etc, and treated what water I collected with a water purification tablet. On pilgrimage walks, this has only been necessary a couple of times over many years, and has never resulted in any ill-effects.

On the camino, I have refilled regularly at bars, cafes, etc. I normally carry a 300-600 ml plastic bottle as a reserve and to transfer water to my bladder without removing it from my pack.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Oh, yes, agricultural land and chemicals. On the CF I had a water filter. I never used it at farmlands for that reason. But it would be fine for this situation...

In NZ I was staying at Waitomo Caves and during the famous boat tour of the glowworm grotto someone asked the boatman if the water was good for drinking. It was fine and good was the reply. On my way back to the hostel I noticed, about 500 m from the stream's entrance into the cave, a dead cow lying in the stream.

Edited after looking at a map. The cow was further away but was in the stream itself, not a tributary.

 

[Esperanza]

Well, this has wandered a bit from the topic of tap water, but I would not under any circumstances drink untreated water from a stream, pond, lake, etc. in Spain or elsewhere. I have had giardia (from whitewater rafting on the Colorado, where I had walls of river water landing on me, and inadvertently swallowing some) and I was very ill and miserable. It is not something you want to take a chance on.

I wouldn’t drink water from an unmarked tap in the middle of a field. It‘s likely to be irrigation water and untreated. I would be wary of other water taps in isolated places, especially if they look like they might be part of an irrigation system.

However, along the Camino Frances, there are plenty of taps in parks, rest areas, town squares, and simply along the trail. They are there for the peregrinos. I drink from all of those, marked potable or unmarked, without hesitation. I have drunk from the ones marked untested with no problems. Spain is a civilized country. If a tap has contaminated water, they are not going to let it sit there, unmarked, infecting hundreds of peregrinos who drink from it daily.

 

[RJM]

In many countries plastic water bottles are reused for all sorts of things.

I'm sure they are, but again without a doubt the overwhelming majority of them are not recycled. Same with the plastic grocery type bags.

 

[Esperanza]

There seems to be a subset of peregrinos who are very suspicious of the tap water in Spain. I was in an albergue one morning, sitting in the lounge next to the kitchen. There were vending machines next to me.

This guy came in and asked me for change for the machine. I gave him what I had, but he said he needed more, to buy bottles water from the machine. He asked me, somewhat frantically, where else can he get water. I pointed to the kitchen tap, a few meters away, and he shook his head like I was crazy. I pointed to the bottle of water from the tap that I was drinking from. He left.

Later, he came back and emptied out the machine of 4 or 5 half liter bottles, which he poured into his hydration bladder, and threw the empties in the trash.

What a waste of plastic and of money. I am not going to mention the nationality, but I have seen people from the same country again and again being very afraid of the water in Spain. It must be what they are being advised. It’s very unfortunate.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

I'm sure they are, but again without a doubt the overwhelming majority of them are not recycled. Same with the plastic grocery type bags.

Maybe not where you live.

 

[RJM]

No, it is for accuracies sake. The issue is that we, as humans, allow these plastics to remain in the environment as waste. This is irrespective of whether they are genuinely single use, which clearly they are not even if that is how most of them might be used. Focussing on the plastic bottle and not on the human behaviour is what I am taking issue with.

Well we humans are so flawed and so fallible. That's just the way we are. Perfectly imperfect. Can't polish a turd, no silk purses from a sow's ear. It is what it is.
In our current world most people cannot financially afford to be environmentally conscience. They're too busy trying to feed themselves. It's easy for a bunch of people on a forum who have enough copper to galavant across Europe, walking for recreation to preach human behavior when it comes to the environment.

 

[trecile]

This guy came in and asked me for change for the machine. I gave him what I had, but he said he needed more, to buy bottles water from the machine. He asked me, somewhat frantically, where else can he get water. I pointed to the kitchen tap, a few meters away, and he shook his head like I was crazy. I pointed to the bottle of water from the tap that I was drinking from. He left.

There are many people who only drink bottled water at home or when they are traveling. I agree that it's very wasteful.

 

[RJM]

Maybe not where you live.

Fact Sheet: Single Use Plastics - Earth Day

END PLASTIC POLLUTION Fact Sheet: Single-Use Plastics The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. Plastic pollution is very real and single-use plastics are small but...

www.earthday.org

I live on earth. Where do you live?

 

[Esperanza]

There are many people who only drink bottled water at home or when they are traveling. I agree that it's very wasteful.

While I am aware of that, I was shocked at the rigidity. Flexibility serves one well, on the Camino, while traveling anywhere, and just in general in life.

 

[David Tallan]

Takk for alle gode tilbakemeldinger! En av grunnene til spørsmålet mitt var nettopp fordi jeg vet at flasker som selges i for eksempel Spania noen ganger ikke er resirkulerbare. I mitt hjemland er det strengt forbudt å selge flasker som ikke kan resirkuleres. det er fortsatt et paradoks at vi selger vannet vårt til andre land som «verdens reneste», men vi vet faktisk ikke i hvilke oppbevaringsflasker det selges i mottakerlandet. Vel, jeg tar med mine norske resirkulerbare flasker, og fyller dem med ok kvalitetsvann. Og Frog, ha ha, ikke google translate igjen. Men litt bekymret for å kun bruke det kalde vannet hvis man må la det gå lenge, at andre land har hørt på vann.. vel, fikk svar på spørsmålet mitt, fortsatt veldig interessant å høre om alle erfaringer og vaner ..

Google Translate says:
Thanks for all the good feedback! One of the reasons for my question was precisely because I know that bottles sold in, for example, Spain are sometimes not recyclable. In my home country, it is strictly forbidden to sell bottles that cannot be recycled. it is still a paradox that we sell our water to other countries as "the world's cleanest", but we do not actually know in which storage bottles it is sold in the receiving country. Well, I bring my Norwegian recyclable bottles, and fill them with ok quality water. And Frog, ha ha, not google translate again. But a little worried about only using the cold water if you have to leave it for a long time, that other countries have listened to water.. well, got an answer to my question, still very interesting to hear about all experiences and habits ..

 

[good_old_shoes]

As a german I was socialized to drink tap water. Bottled water is for baby food and for guests mainly, or if you prefer sparkling water (machines to make tap water into sparkling water are very popular here, that way you don't even need bottled water for that anymore).

I have to say that our tap water certainly tastes much better than the spanish water (especially from the heavily chlorinated fountains, which tastes like a swimming pool). But it's safe to drink.

For fountains with water labelled "no guarantee" I carry some chlorine water purification tablets.

Usually I have my metal water bottle, and then also a single use plastic bottle to refill. The french "Perrier" bottles are very good for that purpose, very sturdy!

But I can understand that for people from countries where the tap water is not safe to drink, it is difficult to believe that it's perfectly fine in other countries like Spain.

So while I think it's a waste of money and ressources, I don't judge people who use bottled water. It can be very difficult to give up habits, especially when it's something you've done all your life and have been taught it is the correct thing to do.

 

[trecile]

When I was growing up the only bottled water I knew about was the distilled water that my mother bought for the steam iron. We always drank water from the tap - sometimes directly.

 

[Esperanza]

@good_old_shoes
You make some very good points, but the nationality that I have noticed being so adverse to Spanish tap water is a wealthy Western European one, where the tap water is perfectly safe. Their behavior seems very fear-driven.

And I have spent a lot of time in Mexico, where the tap water is generally not safe. Having gotten sick from it quite a few times from very small quantities of it, I can personally attest to the hazard. However, the Mexicans that I know (not very wealthy ones, mostly) do drink the tap water, and have done so all their lives. Their guts are adapted to it, and they consider the water unsafe for delicate foreigners, but not themselves. I actually am much less likely to get sick in Mexico than I used to be, so there may be something to that. I don’t think they would have any problem whatsoever drinking the water in Spain, and I am quite certain that they wouldn’t be spending money on bottled water.

When I was growing up the only bottled water I knew about was the distilled water that my mother bought for the steam iron. We always drank water from the tap - sometimes directly.

Yes! Same here. And directly from the garden hose as well.

 

[dick bird]

Can you drink from the sink? Probably best not to, unless you're a horse or something.

But you can drink from the tap anywhere in Spain and from most fonts too unless a sign says otherwise.

Fuentes? Not fonts, surely?

 

[André Walker]

Can you drink from the sink or do you have to buy bottles?

You can safely drink tap water (unless 'no potable').

I've seen Spaniards drinking tap water all the time. Given the amount of Spanish in that country, I'd say it's safe enough.

 

[good_old_shoes]

the nationality that I have noticed being so adverse to Spanish tap water is a wealthy Western European one, where the tap water is perfectly safe. Their behavior seems very fear-driven.

Interesting how different the experiences can be. Most people who asked me about tap water being drinkable when they saw me filling my bottle at the sink or at fountains seemed to be from overseas.

But I agree that fear is likely a huge reason why some people (wherever they're from) prefer bottled water.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

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I live on earth. Where do you live?

I usually live in country where re-used plastic water bottles are the usual container for any liquid, including collecting spring water from the village tap to drink.

 

[KariannNor]

I think lots of people have that fear of tap water and therefore buy all their liquids, but don't think they reply now. I have to admit that on my charter trips to southern Spain I have bought water like the other tourists. I don't judge them, I understand that they don't want to get sick at valuable holidays. But, the Scandinavians who live in Spain that I know, drink from the tap. My question was therefore what most pilgrims do. If I see foreigners drinking from the tap, I do too.

 

[Esperanza]

I think lots of people have that fear of tap water and therefore buy all their liquids, but don't think they reply now. I have to admit that on my charter trips to southern Spain I have bought water like the other tourists. I don't judge them, I understand that they don't want to get sick at valuable holidays. But, the Scandinavians who live in Spain that I know, drink from the tap. My question was therefore what most pilgrims do. If I see foreigners drinking from the tap, I do too.

That’s reasonable. Some of the people I encountered on the Camino were not reasonable about water. Fear is a strong emotion, and it can cause people to make poor, unreasonable decisions.

I don’t think that I would judge them if it only affected themselves and their pocketbook. That’s their business, not mine. But the use of plastics is a global concern, so that part bothers me.

 

[RJM]

That's me laughing at the irrational and baseless fear that tap and fountain water (marked potable obviously) in first world countries such as Spain, France and Portugal is not drinkable.
I've deployed to, lived in and worked in places where the water was indeed not potable. We would either have bottled water brought in or we set up purification systems. Spain, France and Portugal are not anything like these places.

 

[RJM]

I usually live in country where re-used plastic water bottles are the usual container for any liquid, including collecting spring water from the village tap to drink.

Yes, I've lived in countries like that too. Nothing was wasted, and anything reusable was put to good use, but that's obviously not the gist of this thread as the Camino routes are in countries where reusing a plastic liquid bottle of any sort is not the norm.

 

[NebraskaKate]

How is the water quality at the Frence route? Can you drink from the sink or do you have to buy bottles?

I heard *after the fact* that bottled water is best in the Meseta....that being said, by the time I got to Carrion, I was VERY sick with stomach issues, but was able to "carry on". I had refilled bottles from the town square pumps- and I think that I may have had bad water from one that was flowing in a "trough". I can't be sure of course, but I did have tummy troubles and did drink from the pumps.

 

[dougfitz]

I heard *after the fact* that bottled water is best in the Meseta

Over the years there has been a higher level of reporting of gastro-intestinal illness in towns along the Meseta. Without denying the distress this causes, most of the reporting has been wildly speculative as to the source. While I cannot tell, one might expect to suffer from the occasional bout of traveller's diarrhoea when faced with new water and food, and it is possible that water supplies anywhere one travels are sufficiently different to cause that. It is one reason why, despite some members here claiming such fears are 'baseless and irrational', that people will make the choice to use bottled water. I, for one, don't blame them for that. Provided they dispose of the empty bottle appropriately, and not toss it away as litter, that would be fine. Some might, but there clearly are those that don't.

 

[KariannNor]

Could use something like this... but not very practical using in bottles maybe.. experience?

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[KariannNor]

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[Molly Cassidy]

Yes, I've lived in countries like that too. Nothing was wasted, and anything reusable was put to good use, but that's obviously not the gist of this thread as the Camino routes are in countries where reusing a plastic liquid bottle of any sort is not the norm.

To be fair, the original suggestion in this thread was that rather than each pilgrim re-using a plastic water bottle for the duration of their walk, they should all go out and buy a metal one!