Why this ride
From Mainhardt it runs 181 km to Mainhardt; allow about 3 h 04 of riding. The stops in between: Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th, Fortlet of Freimühle, Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 and back through Fortlet of Freimühle.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Building remains south of the watchtower W and Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 181 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 04
- 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 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 is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th.
2. Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th
There is a stretch of the Roman frontier in southern Germany that runs almost perfectly straight for about eighty kilometres, from Walldürn in the Odenwald to near Welzheim in the Swabian-Franconian Forest, ignoring hills and valleys alike, as if the surveyors had simply drawn a line on a map. The watchtowers numbered WP 9/101 to 9/131 stand near the southern end of that line, in the forests around Kaisersbach and Welzheim, where the Limes finally turns.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fortlet of Freimühle.
3. Fortlet of Freimühle
Schwäbisch Gmünd sits in the Rems valley below the Swabian Jura, at the foot of the hill where the Staufer dynasty built their castle, and the Roman frontier ran through the same country. The Upper Germanic Limes crosses the Rems valley near here, and at Freimühle a small fortlet was set on the slope above the river to watch the line, a modest square of earth bank that archaeologists have traced and the town has marked. It is a quiet and easily missed spot, but a nice reminder that the Romans knew a good viewpoint.
Read the complete Fortlet of Freimühle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 59 km into the recorded legs you reach Fortlet of Freimühle. Next is Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68.
4. Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
The Roman frontier wall known as the Limes ran for more than five hundred kilometres across what is now southern Germany, from the Rhine to the Danube, and near Aalen it passed through the Kocher valley and over the hills of the Ostalb. Along its length, watchtowers were built at regular intervals, numbered by archaeologists in sequence: WP 12/60 to 12/68 are a group of tower sites near Hüttlingen, mostly now visible as low mounds or reconstructed foundations. The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes was inscribed by UNESCO in 2005 as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68, about halfway. Next is back through Fortlet of Freimühle.
5. back through Fortlet of Freimühle
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fortlet of Freimühle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fortlet of Freimühle sits at 109 km, about halfway. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th.
6. back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th 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 9/101 to 9/131 including th comes up about 151 km into the recorded legs. Next is Building remains south of the watchtower W.
7. 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
Building remains south of the watchtower W closes the day.
Leg by leg
Building remains south of the watchtower W to Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th
Building remains south of the watchtower W → Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th to Fortlet of Freimühle
Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th → Fortlet of Freimühle is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fortlet of Freimühle to Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
Fortlet of Freimühle → Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 to back through Fortlet of Freimühle
Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 → back through Fortlet of Freimühle is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fortlet of Freimühle to back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th
back through Fortlet of Freimühle → back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th to Building remains south of the watchtower W
back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th → Building remains south of the watchtower W is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.