Why this ride
From Welzheim it runs 253 km to Welzheim; allow about 4 h 15 of riding. The stops in between: Building remains of south of Pfahlheim, Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the and back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim and Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 253 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 15
- 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 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
Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim is where the day begins. Next is Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
2. Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
The name of the village gives the game away. Pfahlheim, a part of Ellwangen in the Ostalb, takes its name from the Pfahl, the stake line, which is what generations of farmers called the Roman frontier that ran through their fields. Here, at the edge of what is now Baden-Württemberg, the Upper German Limes and the Raetian Limes met, and the building remains south of the village are one of many small components of the UNESCO-listed Upper German-Raetian Limes. The frontier ran almost dead straight across this country for long distances, ignoring hills and streams in a way that still baffles people. There is very little to see on the ground today, perhaps a low bank or a signboard, but the line can be traced by eye if you know where to look.
Read the complete Building remains of south of Pfahlheim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim comes up about 69 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 126 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the. Next is back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
4. back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Building remains of south of Pfahlheim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim, late in the day. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim.
5. 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
Back at Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim to Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim → Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the to back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the → back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim
back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → Fort site and civil settlement of Welzheim is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.