Why this ride
A 243 km round trip from Bayenthal - roughly 3 h 44 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2, Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe and back through Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Köln-Alteburg and Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 243 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 44
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Köln-Alteburg → Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2
68 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it — speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 68 km
Moselle Wine Route
For 62 km this is Moselle Wine Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it. Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 62 km
- Named road
- Moselle Wine Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Köln-Alteburg
The Roman navy is not the first thing most people associate with Cologne, but for almost two centuries the Rhine fleet, the Classis Germanica, had its main base here at Alteburg, just south of the Roman city. The fort sat on a terrace above the river in what is now the leafy district of Marienburg, near Bayenthal, and from here warships patrolled the Rhine, carried supplies and soldiers, and kept watch on the frontier. The site belongs to the Lower Germanic Limes, listed by UNESCO in 2021, though today it lies mostly under villas, streets and gardens, with only traces and information boards to show where it stood.
Read the complete Köln-Alteburg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Köln-Alteburg is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2.
2. Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2
This is where it all begins, or ends, depending on which way you are walking. At Rheinbrohl, on the east bank of the Rhine between Bonn and Koblenz, the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes left the river and struck out across country, running more than five hundred kilometres to the Danube near Regensburg. The first watchtowers, numbered 1/1 and 1/2, stood here near the river, and the line can be followed into the hills from the edge of the village. The whole frontier is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire, and Rheinbrohl has a modern museum, the RömerWelt, which brings the frontier to life with reconstructions, exhibits and hands-on activities.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 comes up 65 km in. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe.
3. Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe
Marienfels is a small village in the hills of the western Taunus, between the Rhine and the Lahn, and it sits on the site of a Roman fort and its civilian settlement, part of the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing. The frontier wall ran through these hills, and the fort housed a garrison that guarded the frontier and the roads that crossed it. Little remains above ground, but excavations have revealed the outline of the fort and the settlement, with houses, baths and workshops.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
130 km in you reach Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 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 1/1 to 1/2, late in the day. Next is Köln-Alteburg.
5. Köln-Alteburg
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Köln-Alteburg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Köln-Alteburg. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Köln-Alteburg to Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2
Köln-Alteburg → Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 is 68 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 to Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe
Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 → Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe to back through Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2
Fort site and civil settlement of Marienfe → back through Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 to Köln-Alteburg
back through Watchtowers WP 1/1 to 1/2 → Köln-Alteburg is 68 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.