Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe and Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
335 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 53
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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
A 335 km round trip from Großheubach - roughly 5 h 53 in the saddle. It goes by way of Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort, Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the, Murrhardt civil settlement northern part and Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe
Miltenberg is one of those German towns that seem almost too pretty to be real, with half-timbered houses leaning over the cobbled streets, a market square sloping down toward the river, a castle on the hill above and the Main flowing slowly past. The Romans were here first. Two forts guarded this point on the frontier, one near the old town and another to the east, where the Limes left the river and ran overland through the Odenwald, and the sites, with their civilian settlements, are part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire. A museum in the town displays finds from the forts.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort.
2. Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort
The Odenwald Limes is famous for its stubborn straightness. For about eighty kilometres, from the Main near Miltenberg south to the Neckar near Neckarburken, the Romans drew their frontier almost as a ruler line across the wooded hills, ignoring valleys and ridges, and surveyors today still marvel at it. The watchtowers numbered 7/38 to 8/10 belong to this stretch, including a small fort, and the line here passes through the countryside around Buchen, in the Neckar-Odenwald district of Baden-Württemberg, a quiet region of beech forest, meadows and farms. The wooden towers of the first phase were later replaced by stone, and the palisade was supported by a bank and ditch that survive in the woods as a long, shallow trough.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort comes up about 39 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the.
3. Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the
For about eighty kilometres through northern Württemberg, the Roman frontier runs in a nearly perfectly straight line, ignoring hills, valleys and rivers as if someone had drawn it with a ruler on a map. Surveyors still argue about how the Romans managed it. The stretch with watchtowers 9/14 to 9/32, near Öhringen in the Hohenlohe region, lies along this remarkable line, and Öhringen itself grew from Roman forts, two of them, which guarded the frontier here. The line is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire, and the Limes trail follows it through fields and forests.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 87 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the. Next is Murrhardt civil settlement northern part.
4. Murrhardt civil settlement northern part
Murrhardt lies in the valley of the Murr, deep in the Swabian-Franconian Forest northeast of Stuttgart, a hilly, densely wooded region of streams, mills and small villages that feels a long way from the industrial heartland just to the west. The Romans built a fort here on the Limes, the frontier that ran through these forests from north to south, and a civil settlement grew up around it. The northern part of that settlement lies under parts of the modern town, and while there is little to see, the town's museum displays Roman finds, and the frontier through these woods is protected by its World Heritage status.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Murrhardt civil settlement northern part, about halfway. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh.
5. Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh
On the southern edge of Schwäbisch Gmünd, near the Schirenhof farm, the outline of a Roman fort and the foundations of its bath house lie in the grass, with walls and hypocaust heating systems laid out for visitors to see. The fort guarded the point where the Upper Germanic Limes met the Raetian Limes, the two great frontier lines of Roman Germany, and a civilian settlement grew up around it. The site is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire, and it is one of the more rewarding Limes stops in Baden-Württemberg, with visible remains and a lovely setting above the town.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part comes up about 207 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the.
7. back through Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 248 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort.
8. back through Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 335 km.
Leg by leg
Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe to Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort
Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe → Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort to Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the
Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort → Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the to Murrhardt civil settlement northern part
Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the → Murrhardt civil settlement northern part is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Murrhardt civil settlement northern part to Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh
Murrhardt civil settlement northern part → Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh to back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part
Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh → back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part to back through Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the
back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part → back through Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the to back through Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort
back through Watchtowers WP 9/14 to 9/32 including the → back through Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort to Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe
back through Watchtowers WP 7/38 to 8/10 including fort → Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.