Why this ride
A 243 km round trip from Ellwangen - roughly 4 h 09 in the saddle. It goes by way of Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the, Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7 and back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim and Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 243 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 09
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
The name of the village gives the game away. Pfahlheim, a part of Ellwangen in the Ostalb, takes its name from the Pfahl, the stake line, which is what generations of farmers called the Roman frontier that ran through their fields. Here, at the edge of what is now Baden-Württemberg, the Upper German Limes and the Raetian Limes met, and the building remains south of the village are one of many small components of the UNESCO-listed Upper German-Raetian Limes. The frontier ran almost dead straight across this country for long distances, ignoring hills and streams in a way that still baffles people. There is very little to see on the ground today, perhaps a low bank or a signboard, but the line can be traced by eye if you know where to look.
Read the complete Building remains of south of Pfahlheim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the.
2. Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Here the frontier changes character. West of the Franconian lakes the Romans built the Raetian Limes not as a palisade but, in its final form, as a stone wall, a metre or so thick and perhaps three high, running across Middle Franconia toward the Danube. Medieval villagers who found its rubble in their fields had no idea who had built it and called it the Teufelsmauer, the Devil's Wall, which tells you how thoroughly the empire had been forgotten. The watchtowers numbered in this section sat along that wall in the farmland around Pfofeld and Gunzenhausen, close to where the line crosses the Altmühl valley.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the comes up about 57 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7.
3. Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7
In Bavaria, the Roman frontier changed character. Instead of the wooden palisade used in the Upper German section, the Raetian Limes was eventually built as a stone wall, known locally as the Devil's Wall, because medieval people could not imagine anyone but the devil building something so long. The stretch between Watchtowers 15/1 and 15/7 crosses the hills around the Altmühl valley, near Kipfenberg and Kinding, and the line of the wall can still be traced in places as a low ridge in the forest. It is part of the Upper German-Raetian Limes World Heritage site.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 121 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the, late in the day. Next is Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
5. Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Building remains of south of Pfahlheim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Building remains of south of Pfahlheim. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the to Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the → Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7 is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7 to back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Watchtowers WP 15/1 to 15/7 → back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the to Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the → Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.