Why this ride
A 158 km round trip from Lorch - roughly 2 h 47 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtowers WP 12/39, Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68, Building remains of south of Pfahlheim and Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch and Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 158 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 47
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Romantic Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 17 km this is Romantic Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 17 km
- Named road
- Romantic Road
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch
Lorch, in the Rems valley east of Stuttgart, sits on a historic seam. Just outside town, the Upper German Limes, which ran as a palisade and ditch from the Rhine, met the Raetian Limes, the stone wall running east to the Danube, and the Romans built a fort here to watch over that junction and the valley road. The fort lay beneath what is now the old town centre, and its outline, together with traces of the civilian settlement that grew around it, is marked in places in the streets. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site, and a reconstructed watchtower stands on a hill nearby.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 12/39.
2. Watchtowers WP 12/39
Iggingen is a small village on the plateau above the Rems valley, a few kilometres east of Schwäbisch Gmünd, and like many villages in this part of Württemberg it has a Roman frontier running through its fields. The site labelled Watchtower WP 12/39 sits on the Raetian Limes, the stone wall that marked the edge of Roman Raetia, and from here the line runs eastwards towards Aalen, the largest Roman cavalry fort north of the Alps, now home to an excellent Limes museum.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 12/39 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 12/39 comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68.
3. 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
about 39 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68. Next is Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a.
5. Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a
In the fields near Wilburgstetten, in the west of Franconia, a low ridge runs across the landscape, overgrown with grass and bushes. It looks like nothing much, but it is the remains of the Raetian Limes, the stone wall that marked the frontier of the Roman province of Raetia in the second and third centuries. Unlike the Upper German Limes to the north west, which was mostly a palisade and ditch, the Raetian section was eventually built as a continuous stone wall, more than a hundred and sixty kilometres long. Local people later called it the Teufelsmauer, the Devil's Wall, believing it could only have been built by supernatural forces. The section between watchtowers here is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.
Read the complete Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a sits at 79 km, about halfway. Next is back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
6. back through 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 through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim comes up about 96 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68.
7. back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
about 118 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 12/39.
8. back through Watchtowers WP 12/39
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 12/39 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 12/39, late in the day. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch.
9. Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 158 km.
Leg by leg
Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch to Watchtowers WP 12/39
Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch → Watchtowers WP 12/39 is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 12/39 to Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
Watchtowers WP 12/39 → Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 to Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 → Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a to back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a → back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 to back through Watchtowers WP 12/39
back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 → back through Watchtowers WP 12/39 is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 12/39 to Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch
back through Watchtowers WP 12/39 → Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.