Fortsite of Holzhausen and civil settlemen and Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Fortsite of Holzhausen and civil settlemen

   Up on the high, rolling plateau between the Rhine and the Lahn, where the Taunus fades into fields and beech woods, the Romans built one of the better preserved stone forts on the Upper German Limes. Holzhausen an der Haide is a quiet village of a little over a thousand people, and the fort sits just outside it in the trees, the outline of its walls still traceable on the ground, with the gates and corner towers marked out where the stone survives. It is part of the UNESCO-listed frontier that once ran from the Rhine near Koblenz all the way to the Danube, a line of palisade, ditch, watchtowers and garrisons meant less to stop armies than to control who came and went, and what they paid for the privilege.

   Read the complete Fortsite of Holzhausen and civil settlemen write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Fortsite of Holzhausen and civil settlemen is where the day begins. Next is Watchtower WP 3/4*.

2. 2. Watchtower WP 3/4*

   In the western Taunus, between Bad Schwalbach and Taunusstein, the forest is thick and the hills roll gently, and the Upper German Limes runs along the ridge here as a still visible bank and ditch. The site labelled Watchtower WP 3/4 is one of the many small posts along this section, and a few kilometres to the east, near Taunusstein-Orlen, the fort of Zugmantel guarded a crossing of the frontier on an old trade route into Germanic territory. These remains are part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site, and a walk along the Limes trail through the forest here is peaceful and atmospheric.

   Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/4* write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Watchtower WP 3/4* comes up 20 km in. Next is Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP.

3. 3. Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP

   On the western side of the Taunus, the hills are lower and the forest gives way more often to farmland, with villages in the folds of the valleys. Idstein, a small town with a remarkable old centre, sits on this side, with Waldems and Glashütten nearby. Through the woods above them ran the Roman frontier, and the stretch of watchtowers numbered WP 3/24 to 3/40 followed the ridges here, part of the Upper Germanic Limes and of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire site.

   Read the complete Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   40 km in you reach Watchtowers WP 3/24 to 3/40Watchtowers WP. Next is back through Watchtower WP 3/4*.

4. 4. back through Watchtower WP 3/4*

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/4* write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Watchtower WP 3/4*, late in the day. Next is Fortsite of Holzhausen and civil settlemen.

5. 5. Fortsite of Holzhausen and civil settlemen

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Fortsite of Holzhausen and civil settlemen write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Fortsite of Holzhausen and civil settlemen. That is the ride.