Why this ride
265 km from Osterburken to Osterburken, about 4 h 36 of riding. On the way it passes Building remains south of the watchtower W, Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85 and back through Building remains south of the watchtower W.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Building remains south of Götzingen and Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 265 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 36
- 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 south of Götzingen
Between the Odenwald and the Tauber country lies the Bauland, a high, open plateau of limestone, cornfields and small villages that most travellers cross without slowing down. Just south of Götzingen, among fields and woodland edges between Buchen and Osterburken, are the remains of a Roman building on the line of the Upper Germanic Limes. It is not a grand ruin, more a footprint in the ground, but it belongs to one of the best documented stretches of the frontier, the section that runs straight as a ruler through this part of northern Baden-Württemberg.
Read the complete Building remains south of Götzingen write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Building remains south of Götzingen is where the day begins. Next is Building remains south of the watchtower W.
2. Building remains south of the watchtower W
Mainhardt sits high in the Swabian-Franconian Forest, between Heilbronn and Schwäbisch Hall, on a wooded plateau that the Romans chose for one of the forts guarding their frontier. The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes runs through here on its long, ruler-straight stretch heading south towards Welzheim, and along it stood watchtowers every few hundred metres, with small buildings nearby for the soldiers who manned them. The remains south of one of these towers are modest, low foundations in a clearing or under the forest floor, but they are part of the World Heritage frontier that runs for more than five hundred kilometres across Germany. The village has a small Roman museum that explains the fort and its garrison.
Read the complete Building remains south of the watchtower W write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Building remains south of the watchtower W comes up about 72 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85.
3. Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85
In the forests near Ellwangen the Roman frontier changes character. Here the Upper Germanic Limes, with its timber palisade and ditch, meets the Raetian Limes, which the Romans eventually built as a stone wall, and the stretch of watchtowers numbered 12/69 to 12/85 runs through the farmland and woods east of the Jagst. Archaeologists number the towers with slashes and digits, which makes them sound like spare parts, but each one was a small stone or timber post with a few soldiers watching the border, passing signals along the line. Together they form part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 132 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85. Next is back through Building remains south of the watchtower W.
4. back through Building remains south of the watchtower W
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Building remains south of the watchtower W write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Building remains south of the watchtower W, late in the day. Next is Building remains south of Götzingen.
5. Building remains south of Götzingen
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Building remains south of Götzingen 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 south of Götzingen. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Building remains south of Götzingen to Building remains south of the watchtower W
Building remains south of Götzingen → Building remains south of the watchtower W is 72 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Building remains south of the watchtower W to Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85
Building remains south of the watchtower W → Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85 is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85 to back through Building remains south of the watchtower W
Watchtowers WP 12/69 to 12/85 → back through Building remains south of the watchtower W is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Building remains south of the watchtower W to Building remains south of Götzingen
back through Building remains south of the watchtower W → Building remains south of Götzingen is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.