Calera y Chozas

At eleven in the morning, the pale asphalt of the Vía Verde crunches beneath bicycle wheels. On either side stand old olive trees, their twisted trunks like arthritic hands. The River Tajo moves slowly through the valley, almost lazily. There is no shade. The sun of La Mancha hits hard and the air carries the scent of warm earth, rosemary and something sweet drifting from beehives set beside the path.

This is often how a visit to Calera y Chozas begins: cycling or walking without much of a plan, crossing an open landscape where every sound seems amplified. The hum of insects, the scrape of gravel, the wind rising from the river. Seen quickly from the road, the village can appear similar to many others in this part of Toledo. It’s worth stopping the car or getting off the bike and taking a slower look.

A Bridge You Have to Walk To

The Viaducto del Salto del Moro isn’t visible from the streets. To reach it, you walk a few minutes along the Vía Verde, pass the old station and go through a short tunnel. Then it appears suddenly: a long, high bridge of stone and metal, built when trains once ran here linking Talavera with La Jara.

From the top, the Tajo looks like a green ribbon between two rock faces. Birds nest in the arches and the wind rises sharply through the gorge. There are no safety rails and no information panels, so you watch your step. If you’re with children, you keep them close.

You can descend towards the riverbed along a path that threads through mastic shrubs and low scrub. The starting point isn’t marked. Asking in the village or following one of the tracks that branch off from the Vía Verde is usually how it’s done. In summer the river runs low, revealing rounded stones worn smooth. In spring, after weeks of rain, the water fills more of the valley and the viaduct feels far more imposing.

Two Villages, One Name

In the square of Chozas, a few adobe houses with pitched roofs still stand, along with a bricked-up communal oven. Most of the other buildings are more recent. The story goes that the old settlement of Chozas gradually lost people after conflicts and epidemics centuries ago. Over time, life shifted towards Calera.

What’s now Calera y Chozas came from a nineteenth-century union between two settlements separated by a stream. The double name stuck. Even now, some residents will specify which part they’re from when they speak.

On the way out towards the River Alberche stands the Palacio de Tórtolas. On a nearby slope you can see several silos carved into the rock—dark openings like well shafts that were used to store grain for centuries. The façade of the palace has been restored, though its door is usually closed. From the road, especially when the sun is strong, there’s a scent of damp and heated stone rising from its walls.

Food with Weight and Scent

The gazpacho de la Jara bears little resemblance to the chilled tomato soup from Andalusia. Here it’s a thick stew prepared with rabbit or partridge, tomato, pepper and pieces of bread that simmer until they almost dissolve. It comes in a deep dish, and they’ll often tell you not to eat too much at first, because a caldereta might follow.

Lamb frequently comes from farms nearby and is cooked with wild herbs gathered from these fields. Sheep’s cheese is matured in fairly dry conditions; by summer, when you cut it, the paste can turn almost creamy.

Beekeeping has a strong presence here. Hives sit among thyme and scrubland, and the honey tends to carry an intense aroma of rosemary and rockrose. Some years, during the September fiestas, you might find raffles or small markets tied to local produce.

Walking or Riding an Old Railway Line

The former station of Calera is one of the main access points to this stretch of greenway. The railway building still stands, some of its old signage visible, holding the quiet air of stations where trains no longer stop.

From here, a wide track of compacted gravel stretches out, free of traffic, crossing olive groves and cereal fields. In May the wheat grows tall and the wind moves through it like water. Several kilometres along, remnants of old waterwheels appear—reminders of how these lands were once irrigated.

For long stretches it’s almost flat ground, which draws cyclists and walkers alike. If you plan to cover longer distances, set off early and carry enough water. Between some villages there are kilometres without shade or fountains.

Calera y Chozas lies a short distance from Talavera de la Reina. By car, you typically follow the A‑5 to Talavera and then continue towards La Jara; it’s well signposted.

Across seasons this landscape shifts completely. In summer heat sits heavy on everything and river levels drop low enough to cross on foot in places. In spring—after sustained rainfall—the valley fills with water and fields show their brightest greens for just a few weeks before fading back into golds and browns by June’s end