# To drink or not to drink!!!!



## mfa (Mar 13, 2008)

Hi All

We have our ferry booked to travel to Denmark next Easter and was wondering if you can drink the water or do we need to boil it first. I've read somewhere around the MF threads that bottled water is very expensive......any experience of would be welcomed....

Cheers



Mark


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## selstrom (May 23, 2005)

Are you trying to insult the Danes?


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## javea (Jun 8, 2007)

mfa said:


> Hi All
> 
> We have our ferry booked to travel to Denmark next Easter and was wondering if you can drink the water or do we need to boil it first. I've read somewhere around the MF threads that bottled water is very expensive......any experience of would be welcomed....
> 
> ...


Simple solution is to fit a Naturepure filter then no worries about water quality.

Mike


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## jamest (Mar 9, 2011)

We were there a few months ago. We use bottled water, it wasn't too expensive. 

Brush teeth etc with water from wherever (not bottled - from wherever we could get it) and it was fine. Also cooked and made tea with the water. 

It's easy to Wildcamp and get water everywhere. Loads of places to empty loo too.

Fantastic place IMO


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

As far as I know, you can drink tap water throughout most of Europe without any difficulties. Hot southern countries can be the exception, where much water is drawn from artesian wells and has been doctored. Some tummys are sensitive to water treatment and it may be best avoided. In the Uk our water is treated and people from other countries can suffer the same problems.
Personally I drink the towns water wherever I am and fill my van with it. If there is a bit of a taste, we run it through the Naturepure filter.
Alan


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

How have the Danes managed to survive for so long if you can't drink the water!!

Dave :?:


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Zebedee said:


> How have the Danes managed to survive for so long if you can't drink the water!!Dave :?:


Carlsberg?


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

mfa said:


> Hi All
> 
> We have our ferry booked to travel to Denmark next Easter and was wondering if you can drink the water or do we need to boil it first. I've read somewhere around the MF threads that bottled water is very expensive......any experience of would be welcomed....
> 
> ...


Hi Mark, tap water is fine in Denmark, no need to boil it, have a great trip.

pete


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## Fatalhud (Mar 3, 2006)

Its not the drinking that could be a problem, its the Washing  
We can all avoid drinking the local water, then stand under a shower, breathing in the steamy water vapours :? :? 

Personally Im to tight to buy bottled and have never had a problem

Alan H


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## EJB (Aug 25, 2007)

Tried not to post....but I must :roll: 
Northern Europe and Scandinavia all have water supplies equal or better than the UK. :wink:


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## Twm-Twp (Jun 14, 2012)

I also tried not to reply to this amusing post .... but failed !!!! Denmark being the third world country that (some) think it is, I wouldn't touch the boiled rice either !!!!!!! Sorry 8O


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## thegamwellsmythes (Jul 29, 2008)

tonyt said:


> Zebedee said:
> 
> 
> > How have the Danes managed to survive for so long if you can't drink the water!!Dave :?:
> ...


Probably


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

I must be in the minority because it seemed like a perfectly reasonable question to me.



Pete


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## bellabee (May 16, 2010)

I can't help wondering whether this is a serious question or a bit of a wind-up?


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I hear that they also have electricity !! (and trains but I am not certain of that fact)

:roll: :roll: :roll:


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## mfa (Mar 13, 2008)

i'd recently read a few threads on mf regarding denmark, mainly peejee's account of his visit and also follwed this link:

http://www.europebycamper.com/2012/05/our-guide-to-visiting-driving-in.html

which lead to my "serious question".

i thought a little research prior to a visit to a "third world" country might offer myself and family a little benefit.

thanks to those who offered some insight and those that didn't.....................

cheers

mark


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Not a daft question at all.

Danish drinking water is all from groundwater and much of it is from private sources rather than via a mains system as in UK. While there are controls on microbiological content you cannot always guarantee that the water tastes good and makes good tea and coffee.

You might have to put up with drinking something that tastes rather " muddy" if you are staying at sites in the countryside. 

You might also find that the mineral content is higher than you are used to as it is not regulated. This can give you the runs; not because you have an infection but rather because it has had the same laxative effect as a dose of Epsom salts might do !

G


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

I am glad we hadn't heard about this before we spent an enjoyable week there a couple of years ago. Filled tank as usual, made tea and coffee as usual, no ill effects as usual. 
I understand you can even drink French water now!! Would not recommend you drink London water though - last I heard, you would be the 7th do do so.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

aultymer said:


> I am glad we hadn't heard about this before we spent an enjoyable week there a couple of years ago. Filled tank as usual, made tea and coffee as usual, no ill effects as usual.
> I understand you can even drink French water now!! Would not recommend you drink London water though - last I heard, you would be the 7th do do so.


I suspect you'd not read the Danish Ministry of the Environment report on Danish Water quality. They don't chlorinate their water and do have problems- because it is a heavily agricultural country and water sources are all groundwater:

Quote:
_ Nitrate pollution of groundwater has led to closure of many minor water works based on
relatively shallow aquifers. Pesticide pollution, especially in suburban areas, has led to closure
of several major well fields. Leaching from waste disposals and other point sources has
closed several water supply wells and finally some water works suffer from nickel pollution,
mainly due to over exploitation of aquifers.
In the period 1991-2005, 1,306 wells were closed as water supply abstraction wells, solely
due to content of pesticides or degradation products (metabolites) and approximately 100
wells are still closed every year due to pesticide content. _ Unquote

As I say; probably, if you got your water from a town or city you'd not notice this in your tank but beware if filling from smaller sites as the water can taste unpleasant. Water in Copenhagen is chlorinated.

G


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

> I suspect you'd not read the Danish Ministry of the Environment report on Danish Water quality


Griz, if I had read that report I would have been reasured by the fact that so many polluted sources had been identified and closed. We didn't fill in Copenhagen since we spent most of our time in the north and west of Denmark.
To sugest that it is some kind of third world country is a bit much.
Remember it is this same groundwater plus salt which is added, as brine, to much of the Danish bacon sold in UK supermarkets (why sell pig when you can sell brine as a trade mag once boasted).


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

aultymer said:


> To sugest that it is some kind of third world country is a bit much.
> .


Where did I suggest that ? I must have missed that !

The question was asked: is it safe to drink Danish drinking water ?

My answer: yes, but, for reasons that I stated- and backed by the Danes themselves- the water might taste, in some places, unpleasant and might act as a laxative in others.

The same is true in UK; there are lots of places where the water does not taste great and, as I can attest whenever I visit my in-laws in Epsom for example, where there is a laxative effect due to higher salt content than many are used to. The EU have identified UK as having many of the same problems.

We don't have chlorinated water in the town I live either, relying on carbon-purification. We're quite proud of that.

Really ! It seems to me to be reasonable to answer a question as factually as possible and not to be accused of going too far - which is what I assume you mean by " a bit much ".

G

Edit: the last third world country that I lived in - rural Zimbabwe- had an excellent drinking water supply; clean and fresh and biologically pure for those able to access it.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I have no problem.
any water boiled for coffee

I only drink carbonated water and only a certain brand
so I carry it with me :lol: :lol: :lol:

Aldra


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## shedbrewer (Jan 6, 2007)

*water in Scandinavia*

I worked all over Denmark in a circus orchestra and lived in towed trailers, drinking the water straight from stand pipes and suffered no ill-effects,,,,the Carlsberg and Tuberg beers,, on the other hand, were a different stor,y. I would never touch either of them ever again. Insipid lagers, no taste, far too cold to be enjoyed,,,, and those are the good points,,, Cheers.


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

No wonder you are called Grizz.
OP posted:-" i thought a little research prior to a visit to a "third world" country might offer myself and family a little benefit. "

Given your problems with UK water it might have been wiser to personalise your reply a bit more. We don't want the Danish Tourist Board sueing MHF for slanderous (or is it libelous?) posts.


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## zappy61 (May 1, 2005)

Hi Mark,

The mains water in Denmark, like here is governed by the World Health Organisations European Standard for Drinking water and should be quite safe to drink. If you are concerned about water from dubious sources my article on testing water to determine whether there is a chlorine residual may be helpful. See here

Regards,

Graham


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## dovtrams (Aug 18, 2009)

When I saw this I had to look at the category to see if it was under jokes. I lived in Norway for six years and travelled extensively to the other Scandinavian countries. Tap water there is excellent, and for some people to say it is as good as the UK is daft. Our tap water polluted with chemicals it generally makes it taste foul.

Enjoy your trip and take plenty of money to Norway if you want a beer!

Dave


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

I have found the best way to be sure would be to ask "Er vandet ok at drikke?"
Alan


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

aultymer said:


> No wonder you are called Grizz.
> OP posted:-" i thought a little research prior to a visit to a "third world" country might offer myself and family a little benefit. "
> 
> Given your problems with UK water it might have been wiser to personalise your reply a bit more. We don't want the Danish Tourist Board sueing MHF for slanderous (or is it libelous?) posts.


Sorry, I've just seen this reply and really don't understand it ! I'm not trying to be argumentative but am not clear what you mean.

I don't have a problem with " UK water" ; one smallish town only (Epsom) for a day or two at most until I get used to it. I've always found UK water quality excellent. However, unlike many on here, I don't equate " tasting good " with " being safe to drink" and vice versa. I've read water board reports too and there is a general agreement that UK quality is good.

The OP was quoting a previous poster in their use of the phrase "third world" as far as I can see. I don't think, in their original post, they made any reference; just asked a straightforward question.

Why should the Danes even consider suing for libel - something written - when, my posts anyway, are only quoting their own water board reports ?

"Personalise more " - ? Sorry, you've lost me !

G


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## locrep (Dec 5, 2011)

I wish I was as clever as some of the smart people on here..

Dave.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Grizzly said:


> aultymer said:
> 
> 
> > No wonder you are called Grizz.
> ...


Aultymer often posts some strange things in the late evening. I think alcohol might be involved.

On the topic, I no longer believe that the UK is light years ahead of 'Johnny Foreigner' in all aspects of life. If the truth were told, we usually bring up the rear these days. I would expect the water to be of equal or probably higher quality than the UK.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

locrep said:


> I wish I was as clever as some of the smart people on here..
> 
> Dave.


What's stopping you ? Presumably you had the same compulsory schooling as everyone else, the same access to libraries, book shops and the internet. No excuses !

G


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## locrep (Dec 5, 2011)

Never obtained a qualification in attacking people who ask a reasonable question.

Dave.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

locrep said:


> Never obtained a qualification in attacking people who ask a reasonable question.
> 
> Dave.


So if you're not qualified to do it, why are you doing it ?

G


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## hblewett (Jan 28, 2008)

I looked at this thread because I thought it would be about the wisdom or otherwise of drinking alcohol, given the very low levels of alcohol in he blood within which it is legal to drive. 

As far as water is concerned, I presume that all EU countries comply, or endeavor to comply with the EU drinking water directives, so as always I won't worry about it. 

The only time I have had a problem is in Morocco, where we did get bottled water, so I'm not sure what went wrong there!


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

> Aultymer often posts some strange things in the late evening. I think alcohol might be involved.


There are some who may see this as a rather personal attack!

Made even worse by the fact that I havent had any this week because of driving and blood test requirements! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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