Olmedo de Camaces: Cycling Route, Pottery and San Jorge

Olmedo de Camaces combines a specific cycling route with notable traces of its local history. The “Camino antiguo de Olmedo” MTB route is an 11.74-kilometre circular route. Pottery tradition, the railway and the San Jorge custom shape different facets of the village, each representing its own historical themes.

The route includes an information and rest area in Olmedo de Camaces. It is located in the old washhouses, thereby connecting today’s cycling facilities with a building that forms part of the village landscape. The river is also one of the documented recreational features of the municipality: fishing is generally permitted there. Cycling and fishing therefore represent two different ways of actively experiencing the surroundings.

Cycling and the River

With its length of 11.74 kilometres, the “Camino antiguo de Olmedo” MTB circular route offers a clearly defined course. The information and rest area in the old washhouses complements the route with a fixed location connected to the history of the village. Fishing is generally permitted in the river; this is one of the distinctive local details alongside the cycle route.

Railway and Pottery Craft

The “La Fuente de San Esteban–La Fregeneda” railway line runs through the municipality of Olmedo de Camaces. It was designated as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the “Monument” category. The abandoned Olmedo y Cerralbo station belongs to the former Duero railway line. The municipality thus brings together the traditional railway connection, its heritage-protection status and a no-longer-used railway station.

The history of pottery also has a precisely dated endpoint. The pottery tradition of Olmedo de Camaces continued until 1966; that year, the last potter stopped working with clay. Its regional connections date back to the 19th century, when potters from the pottery centre of Tamames de la Sierra in Salamanca province came to Olmedo de Camaces.

Traditional pottery used two types of clay: a firm or red clay and a soft or yellow clay. The chronological development of the craft, the origins of the potters and the different materials are therefore among the traditional features of local ceramics.

San Jorge, Village Landscape and Church

Saint George is the patron saint of Olmedo de Camaces. A historical custom associated with the San Jorge festival was for the residents of Olmedo to invite the inhabitants of Fuenteliante and Bañobárez to their celebration to eat gazpacho together. This historical custom involved the use of finely carved wooden spoons made by shepherds and goatherds.

The characteristic village landscape includes the “Portalitos” in front of the house entrances. In the church of Olmedo de Camaces, the main altar dates from the 18th century. Thus, small elements of everyday architecture stand alongside a significantly older example of ecclesiastical furnishings in the village.

More local pages: Salamanca, Yecla De Yeltes, El Pino De Tormes, Cristóbal, La Alberca, Herguijuela de la Sierra, Cabrerizos and Alba De Tormes.

To the higher-level travel overview: Salamanca.