I've been drinking from streams all my life & there's nowt wrong wi'me........wi'me......wi'me........wi'me........ ..wi'me
I've been drinking from streams all my life & there's nowt wrong wi'me........wi'me......wi'me........wi'me........ ..wi'me
Now't wrong wi me, its t'others.
I had a bit of a dodgy tummy about 20 years ago (nothing too serious) after drinking from the stream at the back of Kirk Fell, just down from Black Sail pass. Since then I've always been a bit cautious about drinking from streams in the Lakes, and will do so only as a last resort. I have no such qualms in the Scottish Highlands though.
I drink from streams in Lancashire but wouldn't think of drinking from streams in Yorkshire.
Tao begets one. One begets two. Two begets all things.
More for us two-headed Yorkshireman then:thumbup:
Hills and Guinness!
If I'm in Lancashire (not often!) I always have a slash in a stream...:sneaky:
As others have already said, the water you choose to drink is probably key. Few things more off putting than drinking from a stream to spot a sheep relieving itself 20 yards upstream.
Personal hygiene is also worth considering on this subject, no good the water being beutifully clean if you've had a toilet stop and the bacteria are already on you. There is also the issue of scrabbling up a steep climb and grabbing a handful of animal toilet in the process.
All this said, I've never experienced any problems. Although if I go somewhere where there is more human/animal activity (the Lakes being a good example) I'll sometimes take a mini water filter (straw type) if it seems like a good idea!
In moments of thirst-induced delerium I've drunk from the South Forty Foot Drain in Lincolnshire, and also the river Wharfe near Ilkley (not in the same run!). Now there must have been some nasty stuff in there, but despite that I didn't have any trouble, and I haven't from drinking from anywhere else either. I wouldn't recommend the Forty Foot Drain though - tastes a bit funny. In fact the worst gut I've ever had came from eating a dodgy pie from a well known Keswick fish n' chip shop, but the rest of the Lakes seems fine.
Seconded. I'm happy to drink from streams rather than carry water in longer races but I'm always careful to rinse my hands off before using them as a cup to drink out of. Not had a problem yet but it may just be a matter of time. I drink from streams on Pendle as and when needed in training so maybe I'm used to them, although I've used streams in the Lakes and the Peaks also. I hate having to carry waterpacks as i find them very irritating to wear, esp in summer when I'm often down to shorts only. Our predecessors managed ok without chlorine, probably by knowing when and where to drink from and by having to do it every day.
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