Madroñal: Circular Routes, Cherry Tradition and Village History

Madroñal combines circular routes with a village landscape of steep, narrow streets, Sierra architecture and cherry tradition. These themes offer different ways to explore the village: you can plan a longer circular route between three villages, a shorter route around Madroñal, or focus on buildings and local produce. The routes differ both in length and in the areas they cover.

Hiking: two circular routes with different profiles

The “Sendero micológico «Cepeda, Madroñal, Herguijuela de la Sierra»” circular hiking trail is 12.7 km long and connects Cepeda, Madroñal and Herguijuela de la Sierra. Its theme is the relationship between mushrooms and people. Alongside the three connected villages, mushrooms are therefore a central interpretive theme on this route.

PRSA-20 is a five-kilometre circular route around Madroñal, rated as easy. Compared with the Sendero micológico, it is shorter and focuses on Madroñal. So, when choosing between the two routes, consider their length, where they go and their main themes: one connects three villages and explores the subject of mushrooms, while the other goes around Madroñal.

Village landscape and scenery

The village’s narrow, steep streets also shape its character. They feature examples of Sierra architecture, and from the streets you can see the Sierra de Béjar and the Vega de Cepeda. Both the streetscape and these named views are distinctive features of the village. Madroñal also lies on a south-facing slope of Monte Cabril, which protects it from the northerly winds.

These landscape features offer another perspective on Madroñal: as well as choosing a route that suits your hiking plans, you can take the village’s hillside setting and views of the two named landscapes into account. Sierra architecture is directly integrated into the streetscape rather than being a separate feature of the village.

The village’s architectural history

The Torre de las Campanas is considered Madroñal’s oldest building. The Alhóndiga was built for the sale and storage of grain. The Iglesia de Santa Ana is integrated into the village streets and looks almost like an ordinary house. Together, these three buildings show different aspects of the architecture: the age of one building, the intended purpose of another, and the way a church fits into the street layout.

Cherries and local traditions

Madroñal is one of the villages in the Sierra de Francia with predominantly family-run cherry orchards. These orchards helped establish the “Cereza de la Sierra de Francia” quality label in 2007. The municipality is also home to the open-air interpretive area “La Cereza,” inaugurated on 20 August 2024. Cherry growing, the quality label and the interpretive area each connect the subject of cherries to the village in a different way.

Madroñal’s Cherry Festival takes place on 26 July, coinciding with the feast of Saint Anne; participants are given a small basket of cherries. Local crafts are another facet of the area’s produce: working with chestnut wood and willow, particularly for basket weaving, is among the most important local products. Alongside routes and buildings, cherry traditions and crafts offer different interests to consider as you explore Madroñal.

Discover more destinations: Cereceda De La Sierra, Salvatierra De Tormes, Sando, Huerta, Buenavista, Gallegos De Argañán, Vega de Tirados, Gallegos de Solmirón.

For the broader travel overview: Salamanca.