Is the mountain water safe to drink on the Wicklow way?

gersrunning

Strange question I know, but we plan on oing it and only carrying what we eat /Drink so hope to Utilise Wicklows finest.
Thanks
Ger

Slogger Jogger

gersrunning wrote: »

Strange question I know, but we plan on oing it and only carrying what we eat /Drink so hope to Utilise Wicklows finest.
Thanks
Ger

I'd only do it as a last resort to be honest. Unless you are very sure where the water is sourced.

man.about.town

no only if you boil it first

ultraman1

depends who is upstream from u;)

tunguska

Used to drink it all the time when myself and a few of the lads would head off that way on the bikes during the summer months. It was grand back then so its'd be hard to say if its ok now. Not worth the risk I'd say. There are water fountains at various points throughout the mountains, I regularly stop and refill at one on the mount venus road. Finest water you'll ever taste.

Joey the lips

As kids we use to drink the stream water all the time. However I would not chance it now. I recently went walking and found all sorts dumped up stream. The wicklow way is not far out of sprawling dublin any more. You get a lot driving up to it on the weekend.

I am even afraid now of the springs that are not on tap.

gersrunning

Hey,
Thanks for that.

tHE vAGGABOND

I would be vary wary of Weil's disease, and would therefore not touch it unless I was totally out of options..

Iron Enthusiast

I'd be pretty wary, all it takes is a dead bird or fox or something up stream and your in trouble. Shame as it would be nice to be able to drink it!

gersrunning

man.about.town wrote: »

no only if you boil it first

Cheers, So is it safe once boiled?? Might have to consider a Recce and hiding some sealed 5 Litres on route in the forest etc....

get on your bike

It was safe out of johnnys hat

Mother Duck

I walked it the other year and drank some of the water when we ran out of our supplies...didn't have any problems with it. I used water purification tabs in everything I drank, you can pick them up in a camping shop...and we just used common sense, ie, didn't drink still or stagnant water, or horribly discoloured water. You can't guarantee that it is safe of course, like the other posters said, there could be something rotting upstream in it, but just saying, I'm still here

MD

mithril

Mother Duck wrote: »

I walked it the other year and drank some of the water when we ran out of our supplies...didn't have any problems with it. I used water purification tabs in everything I drank, you can pick them up in a camping shop...and we just used common sense, ie, didn't drink still or stagnant water, or horribly discoloured water. You can't guarantee that it is safe of course, like the other posters said, there could be something rotting upstream in it, but just saying, I'm still here

MD

I drank some during the WW Ultra without any issues. A very experienced hill walker has told me he drinks it all the time and never had a problem.

Would be interesting to know is whether anyone has ever got a reaction after sampling it?

gersrunning

mithril wrote: »

I drank some during the WW Ultra without any issues. A very experienced hill walker has told me he drinks it all the time and never had a problem.

Would be interesting to know is whether anyone has ever got a reaction after sampling it?

At about the 40 Km mark, the bladder in my Camel back totally froze and was virtually empty. No water at the water stops when we got to them only RedBull would you believe.
I was so tempted to drink from a lovely free flowing stream, but just didnt for fear of not finishing the event due to cramps etc.. but afterwards spoke to several who did drink from it with no ill affects at all.......

But I know common sense prevails and think will go with the water drops prior to the trip. Cheers
Ger

gersrunning

Johnnys Hat?

gersrunning

Mother Duck wrote: »

I walked it the other year and drank some of the water when we ran out of our supplies...didn't have any problems with it. I used water purification tabs in everything I drank, you can pick them up in a camping shop...and we just used common sense, ie, didn't drink still or stagnant water, or horribly discoloured water. You can't guarantee that it is safe of course, like the other posters said, there could be something rotting upstream in it, but just saying, I'm still here

MD

How long did it take to walk?

airscotty

You can get water purification tablets, I presume from any of the outdoor/camping shops.

Enduro

Between various sports I've been drinking water direct from mountain streams all over Ireland, including all over Wicklow, for over 20 years. I haven't had any ill effects from it ever. I've never used purification tablets or similar. IMHO The vast majority of mountain rivers will be much cleaner, purer and less contaminated than the stuff that comes out of your tap.

You'd swear it was raining dead sheep the way some people go on! In that 20 years I've seen a grand total of one dead animal in a river.

jeffontour

Enduro wrote: »

I've been drinking water direct from mountain streams all over Ireland, including all over Wicklow, for over 20 years. I haven't had any ill effects from it ever.

You are half mountain goat though so probably have tougher innards than most!

But enough about Enduro's guts. I've drank from streams on occasion without purification and been grand.

I'm aware of 1 tap along the WW, from what I remember it's somewhere between Ballinastoe & Glendalough(vague I know). It's on a laneway, on the side of a farm building, signposted so hard enough to miss in daylight.

In other free water updates there's a fountain on the Kellystown Road, on way up to Ticknock which has lovely water. If anyone has any other pointers about the locations of similar fountains I'd love to know of them.

The Bad Pawn

I saw an episode of a show called Bear Grylls once where he was washed up and stranded on shore of this isolated place called 'Kerry'?
Anyway according to the show there's dead sheep lying around randomly all over Ireland, so be careful re: water supply. The best thing to do is to get into the sheep and use him as a sleeping bag until help comes in a Helicopter with a bottle of chilled Ballygowan.

I saw this on TV, so it must be the real!;)

Honestly though, if I was up high in the hills (as opposed to at the bottom of a water source) i'd probably chance a sip!