Taps

I noticed this weekend that unlike Oz, houses in the UK do not seem to have taps in their front gardens (perhaps its just Essex) or at the front of apartment blocks so there is nowhere for me to sneak in and have a cheeky drink of water.  I also noticed that the service station i ran past (BP) didn't have a tap on its forecourt either - it was a hi tech device alongside the air pump.

Where do you all drink on longer runs or do you not drink that much because its not that hot?  Or do you carry a water bottle or some money to stop and buy drinks?  I'm only running about 5 miles at the moment but that will increase in the near future and therefore I will need to drink on the run.

I currently carry a bottle with me, but then I am only running up to 10 miles at the moment.  When I do longer runs I will either do laps, and leave water in my front garden, or get a camelback.

Some people buy water, but you would have to stop for that and I would prefer to keep the momentum going.  If I stop I might not start again.

Some public toilets have water fountains - but frankly I'd be wary of drinking water from any publicly available taps. Quite often its not drinking water.

Buy a water bottle and belt or a camelback - whichever suits you.

It does get hot in the UK, and we feel the effects more because we're not used to it.

Generally, we carry our water. You can either carry a bottle in your hand, or use a bottle belt, or use a "bladder" pack.

Some links to get you started as to what's available:

Runaid bottles

A UK stockist for Fuel belts

A UK stockist for Camelbak and other hydration systems.

Beware bottle belts with single large bottles, they tend to bounce.

I like the Fuel Belt. You can mix your refreshment - energy drink in some bottles, plain water in others. Or for when doing the housework, gin at the front, tonic at the back. 

The camelback looks fantastic - thank you.

*wonders where she can place the sliced lemon*

I use a hand-held 'doughnut' shaped bottle for shorter runs, and where I can top up the bottle at drinking fountains.

I have a Camelbak for longer runs, and when I am not going to be able to top up the small bottle.  It's very comfy, and has a little pocket for things like keys.  If you squeeze out any air from the bladder when you fill it, it prevents it from sloshing as you run.