Why this ride
From Ober-Mörlen it runs 261 km to Ober-Mörlen; allow about 4 h 28 of riding. On the way it passes Fortlet Adolfseck, Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 and back through Fortlet Adolfseck.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fortlet Eichkopf and Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 261 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 28
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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. Fortlet Eichkopf
Deep in the forest on the eastern slopes of the Taunus, near Ober-Mörlen, the Romans built a small fortlet known today as Eichkopf, after the wooded hill on which it stands. It was one of the many minor installations along the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes, the frontier that separated the Roman Empire from the free Germanic tribes, and it housed a small detachment of soldiers who patrolled the line and manned the nearby watchtowers. The outline of the fortlet is still visible as a low rampart and ditch among the trees, and nearby, the line of the frontier itself, with its bank and ditch, can be traced through the forest. It is part of the World Heritage site of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Read the complete Fortlet Eichkopf write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fortlet Eichkopf is where the day begins. Next is Fortlet Adolfseck.
2. 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.
Read the complete Fortlet Adolfseck write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fortlet Adolfseck comes up 62 km in. Next is Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57.
3. Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57
This stretch of the Limes sits close to Bendorf and Stromberg, on the plateau above the Rhine near Koblenz, and the watchtowers numbered here, five in all, follow the line as it climbs from the river. The frontier was a controlled boundary: a palisade or bank, a ditch, and a series of towers within sight of each other, with a patrol path behind. Traces survive as low banks in forest and field, and some positions have been marked or partly reconstructed, which makes this a good place to understand how the system worked.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
123 km in you reach Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57. Next is back through Fortlet Adolfseck.
4. back through Fortlet Adolfseck
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fortlet Adolfseck write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fortlet Adolfseck, late in the day. Next is Fortlet Eichkopf.
5. Fortlet Eichkopf
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fortlet Eichkopf write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Fortlet Eichkopf. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Fortlet Eichkopf to Fortlet Adolfseck
Fortlet Eichkopf → Fortlet Adolfseck is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fortlet Adolfseck to Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57
Fortlet Adolfseck → Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 to back through Fortlet Adolfseck
Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 → back through Fortlet Adolfseck is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fortlet Adolfseck to Fortlet Eichkopf
back through Fortlet Adolfseck → Fortlet Eichkopf is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.