Fortlet Adolfseck and Civil settlement of Niedernberg northern p
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
327 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 07
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.
From Bad Schwalbach it runs 327 km to Bad Schwalbach; allow about 5 h 07 of riding. The stops in between: Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the, Signaltower Johannisberg, Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge and Civil settlement of Niedernberg northern p. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Scenic road chapters
German Fairy Tale Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 39 km this is German Fairy Tale Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
Length
39 km
Named road
German Fairy Tale Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fortlet Adolfseck
The Aar is a small river that winds north from the Taunus towards the Lahn, through a narrow, wooded valley that has served as a route through the hills since ancient times. Where the Roman frontier crossed the valley near Adolfseck, today a district of Bad Schwalbach, the Romans built a fortlet to control the crossing, a small, square fortification with a garrison of a few dozen soldiers. The remains have been excavated and are marked on the ground, and the stretch of frontier nearby is part of the World Heritage frontiers of the Roman Empire. Above the valley, the ruins of a medieval castle, also called Adolfseck, add another layer of history.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fortlet Adolfseck is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the.
2. Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the
High in the Taunus hills northwest of Frankfurt, the Upper German Limes runs along the main ridge, and here, between Glashütten and Schmitten, a series of watchtower sites and the remains of a small fort follow the frontier through dense beech and spruce forest. The bank and ditch of the Limes are still clearly visible, winding over the hills like a long scar, and the area is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site. Nearby, on the Kleiner Feldberg, lie the remains of a Roman fort, and a few kilometres east, the Saalburg near Bad Homburg is a fully reconstructed fort with a museum, the best place in Germany to imagine life on the frontier.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the comes up about 43 km into the recorded legs. Next is Signaltower Johannisberg.
3. Signaltower Johannisberg
On a hill above Bad Nauheim, the Johannisberg, the Romans built a signal tower that could communicate with the frontier forts of the Wetterau, the fertile plain that bulges north of Frankfurt and was protected by a long loop of the Limes. The site, with a later medieval chapel and a modern observation tower, gives wide views over the plain and the Taunus hills, and it is part of the Upper German-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing. On a clear day you can see the towers of Frankfurt on the horizon.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 86 km into the recorded legs you reach Signaltower Johannisberg. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge.
4. Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge
East of Frankfurt, on the low ground where the Kinzig valley opens toward Hanau, the Romans pushed their frontier forward in the late first century AD. Rückingen, today a part of Erlensee, was the site of a fort with a civil settlement around it, part of the Wetterau section of the Upper German-Raetian Limes, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Limes here ran south toward the Main, and the forts guarded crossings and roads leading into the Roman province. As with most of the frontier in this area, there is little to see above ground, but the line of the Limes is marked and explained along cycle and walking routes.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge, about halfway. Next is Civil settlement of Niedernberg northern p.
5. Civil settlement of Niedernberg northern p
Niedernberg is a quiet village on the left bank of the Main, a few kilometres downstream from Aschaffenburg, where the river was the Roman frontier. The Upper German-Raetian Limes, after running across the Odenwald, used the Main as its boundary between Großkrotzenburg and Miltenberg, and a fort with a civil settlement stood at Niedernberg, guarding the river line. The northern part of the civil settlement is listed separately as part of the UNESCO site. There is little to see above ground, as the remains lie under fields and houses, but the location by the river makes the Roman logic clear.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 327 km.
Leg by leg
Fortlet Adolfseck to Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the
Fortlet Adolfseck → Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the to Signaltower Johannisberg
Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the → Signaltower Johannisberg is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Signaltower Johannisberg to Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge
Signaltower Johannisberg → Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge to Civil settlement of Niedernberg northern p
Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge → Civil settlement of Niedernberg northern p is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Civil settlement of Niedernberg northern p to back through Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge
Civil settlement of Niedernberg northern p → back through Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge to back through Signaltower Johannisberg
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Rückinge → back through Signaltower Johannisberg is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Signaltower Johannisberg to back through Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the
back through Signaltower Johannisberg → back through Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the to Fortlet Adolfseck
back through Watchtowers WP 3/45 to 3/52 including the → Fortlet Adolfseck is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.