Fort site and civil settlement of Unterböb and Building remains south of the watchtower W

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Fort site and civil settlement of Unterböb

   The Rems valley runs east from Stuttgart towards the edge of the Swabian Jura, and Unterböbingen lies just outside the village of Böbingen, with Heubach three kilometres on and the long wooded wall of the Alb rising behind. The ground here is gently rolling farmland, orchards, small fields and the occasional church spire, the kind of country that looks entirely ordinary until you remember who once held it.

   Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Unterböb 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 Unterböb is where the day begins. Next is Fortlet of Freimühle.

2. 2. Fortlet of Freimühle

   Schwäbisch Gmünd sits in the Rems valley below the Swabian Jura, at the foot of the hill where the Staufer dynasty built their castle, and the Roman frontier ran through the same country. The Upper Germanic Limes crosses the Rems valley near here, and at Freimühle a small fortlet was set on the slope above the river to watch the line, a modest square of earth bank that archaeologists have traced and the town has marked. It is a quiet and easily missed spot, but a nice reminder that the Romans knew a good viewpoint.

   Read the complete Fortlet of Freimühle write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Fortlet of Freimühle comes up 17 km in. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim.

3. 3. Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim

   Welzheim had not one but two Roman forts, and that alone tells you how seriously the frontier was taken in the Swabian Forest. The larger west fort held a cavalry unit, while the smaller east fort, now an archaeological park on the edge of town, housed an auxiliary infantry detachment. At the east fort the west gate has been rebuilt to its full height, and standing in front of it you get a rare sense of scale that low foundations never give. Around both forts lay the civil settlement, the vicus, with workshops, taverns and homes.

   Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   34 km in you reach Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard.

4. 4. Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard

   A Roman cohort fort once stood where Murrhardt's streets now run, on the Upper Germanic Limes as it cut south through the forest toward Welzheim, and a civilian settlement of traders, craftsmen and soldiers' families grew up around it. Some remains have been found under the town, and the local museum tells the story. The Romans left, but the site remained attractive, and in the early Middle Ages a monastery was founded here, associated with Saint Walterich, a hermit whose small chapel, the Walterichskapelle, is a jewel of late Romanesque architecture.

   Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard 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 Murrhard, about halfway. Next is Building remains south of the watchtower W.

5. 5. Building remains south of the watchtower W

   Mainhardt sits high in the Swabian-Franconian Forest, between Heilbronn and Schwäbisch Hall, on a wooded plateau that the Romans chose for one of the forts guarding their frontier. The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes runs through here on its long, ruler-straight stretch heading south towards Welzheim, and along it stood watchtowers every few hundred metres, with small buildings nearby for the soldiers who manned them. The remains south of one of these towers are modest, low foundations in a clearing or under the forest floor, but they are part of the World Heritage frontier that runs for more than five hundred kilometres across Germany. The village has a small Roman museum that explains the fort and its garrison.

   Read the complete Building remains south of the watchtower W write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Building remains south of the watchtower W sits at 67 km, about halfway. Next is back through Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard.

6. 6. back through Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard 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 Murrhard comes up 84 km in. Next is back through Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim.

7. 7. back through Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   101 km in you reach back through Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim. Next is back through Fortlet of Freimühle.

8. 8. back through Fortlet of Freimühle

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Fortlet of Freimühle write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Fortlet of Freimühle, late in the day. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Unterböb.

9. 9. Fort site and civil settlement of Unterböb

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Unterböb 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 144 km.