Why this ride
A 158 km round trip from Wittelshofen - roughly 2 h 54 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtowers WP 13/40, Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the, Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen and Watchtower WP 13/54.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho and Watchtower WP 13/54
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 158 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 54
- 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. Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho
There is nothing to climb at Ruffenhofen, and that is the clever part. The Roman fort here, on gently rising ground above the Wörnitz near Weiltingen and Wittelshofen, has never been rebuilt in stone. Instead, the outline of the walls, gates and the buildings of the settlement around it has been traced across the fields with hedges, trees and mown strips, so the whole place reads like a plan drawn in plants. From the little viewing hill you can see the shape of a garrison that has been underground for seventeen centuries.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho 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 Ruffenho is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 13/40.
2. Watchtowers WP 13/40
Arberg lies in the rolling country of Middle Franconia, where the Altmühl and Wörnitz rivers wander through meadows and the hills are crowned with small woods. The Roman Limes crossed this ground in the second century, and the towers numbered 13/40 belong to the Raetian section, close to the point where the frontier was a stone wall. Today the line is mostly hidden. Farmers have ploughed over it, and trees have grown on the old bank, and in a few places a wooden marker or a stone footing shows where a tower stood. The nearest big fort was at Unterschwaningen, a few kilometres away, and the garrison there sent patrols to the towers.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 13/40 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 13/40 comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the.
3. Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Here the frontier changes character. West of the Franconian lakes the Romans built the Raetian Limes not as a palisade but, in its final form, as a stone wall, a metre or so thick and perhaps three high, running across Middle Franconia toward the Danube. Medieval villagers who found its rubble in their fields had no idea who had built it and called it the Teufelsmauer, the Devil's Wall, which tells you how thoroughly the empire had been forgotten. The watchtowers numbered in this section sat along that wall in the farmland around Pfofeld and Gunzenhausen, close to where the line crosses the Altmühl valley.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 38 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen.
4. Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen
Ellingen is a small town that punches well above its weight. Its centre is dominated by a vast baroque palace built by the Teutonic Order, the German crusading knights who later became a religious and administrative order, and who ran a commandery here for centuries. The palace, with its church, courtyards and gardens, is far grander than you would expect in such a small place. Just outside the town, the Romans had an earlier presence: a fort called Sablonetum stood here on the Raetian Limes, with a civil settlement beside it, guarding the frontier as it crossed the countryside north of Weißenburg. Its outline has been marked in the fields, and it is part of the World Heritage site of the Upper German-Raetian Limes.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen 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 Ellingen, about halfway. Next is Watchtower WP 13/54.
5. Watchtower WP 13/54
Gunzenhausen is a small town in Middle Franconia, on the Altmühl river, and the Roman frontier ran right through it. Watchtower WP 13/54 stood within what is now the town, and the course of the frontier is traced through the streets. It is unusual to find the Roman frontier in an urban setting, and it is a nice surprise as you wander the streets.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 13/54 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 13/54 sits at 80 km, about halfway. Next is back through Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen.
6. back through Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen comes up about 100 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the.
7. back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 120 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 13/40.
8. back through Watchtowers WP 13/40
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 13/40 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 13/40, late in the day. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho.
9. Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho 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 Ruffenho to Watchtowers WP 13/40
Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho → Watchtowers WP 13/40 is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 13/40 to Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Watchtowers WP 13/40 → Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the to Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the → Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen to Watchtower WP 13/54
Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen → Watchtower WP 13/54 is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 13/54 to back through Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen
Watchtower WP 13/54 → back through Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen to back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Ellingen → back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the to back through Watchtowers WP 13/40
back through Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the → back through Watchtowers WP 13/40 is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 13/40 to Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho
back through Watchtowers WP 13/40 → Fort site and civil settlement of Ruffenho is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.