is drinking mountain spring water safe?

[Aaron Rushton]

hi all,
I just remembered this from a while back so here goes. Last summer i went on a charity hike with my school. We were in the brecon beacons, climbing pen y fan It was a very hot day and despspite bringing 2 canteens, i ran out of water by the time i reached the top of pen y fan. i am very familiar with this area as i have been on many hikes and camping trips with both my explorer scout group and family. I was stopped whilst reaching down to fill my water from one of the numerous clear, fast running, peat free (when your high enough) springs which run down from the top. I fill my bottle from these all the time, whenever on hikes or camping trips, and so do the scout leaders usually. The teacher told me it was not clean water. I restrained from arguing back as i know they can't let me do anything out health and safety regulations, but i went back down the mountain without water which was a bit of a bother. There are sheep on the mountain, but that high up there is very little distance from where the spring springs and where i filled my bottle, so surely the amount of sheep poo in it must be tiny? basically, what im asking is if its safe to drink from these mountain springs? what are safe, natural water sources? im sure it is, but just wanted to double check with the fountain of knowledge that is NB.
ATB
Aaron

[Martin]

Probably.

Martin

[Aaron Rushton]

fills me with confidence martin :P

[Martin]

Ha ha, sorry Aaron. You're almost certainly safe but have you seen the last Dartmoor item challenge video with the dead cow? We all took water from the river down stream of that!!

Martin

[Peaks]

Hi,
Its probably safe, but just to be really safe, I've gone over to using the Drinksafe systems travel tap bottle and also have the straw. They also have the advantage of flexibility for use travelling in foreign parts or for everyday use. The straw is really neat and slips into a pack easily.
http://www.drinksafe-systems.co.uk/products.php

There are other similar types of pathogen/chemical filter bottles out there. I've no affiliation - just wanted to buy a British product and and I'm very pleased with the products and the quality of service.

[Fletching]

I've drunk mountain spring water with no problem, but better to be safe than sorry. Remember, the closer you are to the source, the purer the water will be. If you do not have any purification aids with you, you can always use the old boiling method to be absolutely sure.

Steve

[paulthefish2009]

While we are on the subject,what if any method do members use to filter there collected water? I'm not as adventuras as some on here and have never been in the situation where i needed to fill up from a wild source although i have drunk from the hampshire avon only because it looked so inviting! Paul

[jus_young]

Even from spring water there is still the possibility of bacterial contamination. Giardia and Cryptosporidium are not perticularly nice and can be found in water taken directly from the 'source'.

I use one of these for filtration that takes most things out down to 3 microns but Cryptosporidium can be smaller still so this is backed up with sterilization from these.

[Martin]

Like Jus says, there is always the possibility so no one is going to say anything is 100% safe. I have drunk from streams in high moorland areas, mainly in England, but also in Wales and Scotland for around 30 years and I've never had a problem. I have a 'Travel Tap' but never take it out with me as it's a hassle and I always carry puritabs and rarely use them, although I must admit that I did during the summer on Dartmoor last year.

Martin

[Peaks]

Like others I've drunk for years out of mountain streams with no ill effects. I stopped doing doing so when I lived up in the North Pennines and there were restrictions for years on sheep movements following Chernobyl.

Personally I find the Travel-tap a doddle to use - just fill it and drink from it. That was the main attraction for me. I fill it up from home before I go out and replenish it if required. But as with so many other things in this hobby of ours, personal preferences are what make it fun.