Why this ride
A 340 km round trip from Schwäbisch Gmünd - roughly 4 h 51 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35, Small Reut Pond and back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fortlet of Freimühle and Small Reut Pond
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 340 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 51
- 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35.
2. Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
Öhringen had not one but two Roman forts, known today as the Bürgkastell and the Rendelkastell, both on the Upper Germanic Limes, which ran past the town on its way south. The watchtowers numbered here were part of that frontier, and the town grew partly on the remains of the Roman settlement that clustered around the forts. Little is visible above ground, but finds are displayed in the local museum, and the line of the Limes can be followed on foot or by bike through the surrounding countryside.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 comes up about 103 km into the recorded legs. Next is Small Reut Pond.
3. Small Reut Pond
Small as it is, the Kleiner Reutteich is the smallest of the Maulbronn ponds on these rides, and at three kilometres from the monastery it sits well out in the woods. The pond has a quiet, secluded air, with trees reaching over the water and a soft, muddy margin. It belongs to the same water system as the other ponds, and like them it was created by the Cistercians in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, but its smaller size gives it a more private feel.
Read the complete Small Reut Pond write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 191 km into the recorded legs you reach Small Reut Pond. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 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 9/33 to 9/35, late in the day. Next is Fortlet of Freimühle.
5. 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 at Fortlet of Freimühle. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Fortlet of Freimühle to Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
Fortlet of Freimühle → Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 is 103 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 to Small Reut Pond
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 → Small Reut Pond is 88 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Small Reut Pond to back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
Small Reut Pond → back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 is 72 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 to Fortlet of Freimühle
back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 → Fortlet of Freimühle is 77 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.