Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur and Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
252 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 23
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.
A 252 km round trip from Osterburken - roughly 3 h 23 in the saddle. The stops in between: Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth, Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel and back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur
Osterburken is a small town in the Bauland of northern Baden-Württemberg, and the Romans left it one of the most interesting fort sites on the Upper German Limes. The fort here was built in the second century AD, when the frontier was moved forward, and it had an unusual annex fort added later, with walls that ran down the slope toward the stream, making it one of the few double fort complexes on the Limes. Large sections of the walls have been excavated and conserved, and the Roman museum next to the site displays finds from the fort and the civil settlement. The Upper German-Raetian Limes became a UNESCO site in 2005.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur is where the day begins. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth.
2. Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth
For a stretch of about fifty kilometres, the Roman frontier of Upper Germany did not need a wall at all. Between Großkrotzenburg and Miltenberg, the Main river itself served as the border, and the Romans lined its western bank with forts and watchtowers to watch over the water and the forested hills of the Spessart on the other side. Wörth am Main had one of these forts, with a civil settlement where soldiers' families, traders and craftsmen lived. Very little remains above ground, but this wet frontier is inscribed as part of the Upper German Limes, and standing on the riverbank you can see why the Romans thought the river was enough.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth comes up about 60 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel.
3. Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel
Marköbel is a village in the eastern Wetterau, the fertile plain north east of Frankfurt, and it stands on the site of a Roman fort that guarded the frontier where it crossed this open country. The fort, with its civilian settlement, the vicus, where merchants, craftsmen and soldiers' families lived, was part of the Upper German Limes, and today little remains above ground, but the village streets still follow parts of the old layout, and a reconstructed section of the frontier and markers explain the history. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 125 km into the recorded legs you reach Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel. Next is back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth.
4. back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur to Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth
Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur → Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth to Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel
Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth → Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel to back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth
Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel → back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth to Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth → Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.