Why this ride
A 103 km round trip from Schmitten - roughly 2 h 10 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP, Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci and back through Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg and Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 103 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 10
- 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
Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg → Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 18 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 28 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg
If you want to know what a Roman frontier fort actually looked like, this is the place. The Saalburg, on the ridge of the Taunus above Bad Homburg, is the only Limes fort in Germany rebuilt in full: walls, gates, towers, granary and the headquarters building, all standing again on their original foundations. The reconstruction was ordered by Kaiser Wilhelm II around 1900, who liked his Romans grand and imperial, and while archaeologists today debate some details, walking through the main gate is still a jolt.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg 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 Saalburg is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP.
2. Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP
On the western side of the Taunus, the hills are lower and the forest gives way more often to farmland, with villages in the folds of the valleys. Idstein, a small town with a remarkable old centre, sits on this side, with Waldems and Glashütten nearby. Through the woods above them ran the Roman frontier, and the stretch of watchtowers numbered WP 3/24 to 3/40 followed the ridges here, part of the Upper Germanic Limes and of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire site.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP comes up about 28 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci.
3. Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci
The Taunus is the green upland that keeps Frankfurt's weekend riders sane, and running right across it is the line of the Roman frontier. The stretch of watchtowers numbered 3/1 to 3/14 lies near Taunusstein, north of Wiesbaden, where the Upper Germanic Limes crossed the ridge, and it includes the remains of forts and their civilian settlements. One of the best known nearby is the fort of Zugmantel, near the hamlet of Orlen, where the outline of the fort, the palisade line and reconstructed watchtowers give a real sense of the frontier. The whole line is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 54 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP 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 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP, late in the day. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg.
5. Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg to Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP
Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg → Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP to Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci
Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP → Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci to back through Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP
Watchtower WP 3/1 to 3/14 including the ci → back through Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP to Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg
back through Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP → Fort site and civil settlement of Saalburg is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.