My first camino. How safe is the water to drink?

[Gareth]

Is the water consistently safe to drink along the camino? I don't mind carrying a days worth of water but I'd rather top up along the way. Then again I don't want to be laid up with a dose of the shits either!!!

[Covey]

Tap water in the major towns and cities is OK but use bottled water out in the countryside!

[geraldkelly]

Hi Gareth

I've always drunk the water everywhere in Spain and have had no problems. I've also drunk the beer everywhere. You may not see the connection between the two but, when I was going to South America a few years ago my doctor gave me an interesting piece of advice. He said, always drink a beer with your dinner and you'll never get sick because beer kills parasites. I have followed his advice assiduously down the years especially when "out foreign" and have found it never to fail me. The only time I've had problems on the Camino was my first time in Galicia when my head was turned by the local cider. Needless to say, within a couple of days I was regretting it. Luckily the situation was quickly remedied by switching back to beer.

So my doctor's advice is: drink whatever you want but be sure to wash it down with a couple of beers.

Ger

[grayland]

I have filled up at the local fountains (marked potable) all along the Camino. I have not had any problems nor have I talked with anyone who has had problems from drinking the water. I don't drink beer either..so that is not it.
I guesss you could have a different experience but I don't think it would be very common.

[Covey]

The vast majority of Pilgrims do not get problems with drinking the local water, BUT some have more delicate stomachs than others, and the problem has become worse over the years because drinking water in say the UK or Germany has become cleaner and cleaner and as our insides gets used to the clean water, we lose our immunity to some bugs which are common in treated drinking water.

The water in the main Spanish towns and cities is fine, but in the remote rural villages one rarely sees a water treatment plant and most of the Spanish drink bottled water at home.

If you get an attack of "Le Trots" it is virtually impossible to walk and therefore you will have to rest up for a couple of days. The cost of one days private hotel is €30 per night and that will just about be the cost of buying bottled water for the trip.

[Leslie]

I also drunk the water in all places along the Camino, being a poor student the first time I walked I would never have thought of spending money on a bottle of water.

I did however get "Le Trots" once and that was not fun, as I did not lay up somewhere but kept walking much sometimes to my and others embarasment. The place I drunk the water that made me ill is called San Bol. I stayed there overnight. It used to say in the guide books if you dipped your feet in the water at San Bol you would not suffer with blisters again along the way.

Well I should have known that was rubbish - but I had so many problems with my feet I was willing to try anything.

Strange that it is only the English speaking guide books this has made it way into...

[Gareth]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I think I'll stick to bottled water to be on the safe side.
Only four days to go!!!! : )