Why this ride
A 278 km round trip from Bad Ems - roughly 4 h 03 in the saddle. The stops in between: Watchtower WP 3/38*, Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro and back through Watchtower WP 3/38*.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a and Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 278 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 03
- 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. Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a
Few people expect to find a Roman frontier running through a spa town, but the Limes did cross the Lahn near Bad Ems, and the stretch around the Lahn valley is one of the most scenic parts of its whole length. At this point, watchtower WP 1/88 a stands in the hills above Dausenau, a village of a few hundred houses on the river, a couple of kilometres from the spot. The frontier ran along the heights and dropped to the water, and the Romans controlled the river crossing from both sides.
Read the complete Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a is where the day begins. Next is Watchtower WP 3/38*.
2. Watchtower WP 3/38*
The Taunus is a range of wooded hills north-west of Frankfurt, rising to 878 metres at the Großer Feldberg, and it has long been the city's playground, with forests, spa towns and winding roads. Through these hills ran the Upper Germanic Limes, the Roman frontier that stretched for over five hundred kilometres across Germany, and one of its watchtowers, numbered WP 3/38, stood near the village of Glashütten, close to Waldems and Königstein im Taunus.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/38* write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 3/38* comes up about 73 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro.
3. Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro
Großkrotzenburg sits at a turning point of the Roman frontier. Here, on the Main east of Frankfurt, the river border that ran north from Miltenberg came to an end, and the Limes turned away from the water to head north across the Wetterau toward the Taunus. A fort guarded the spot, with a civilian settlement, and parts of its walls and gate can still be traced in the old town, where the fort's outline is marked in the streets. The site belongs to the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire, and the local museum displays finds from the fort and the vicus.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 140 km into the recorded legs you reach Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro. Next is back through Watchtower WP 3/38*.
4. back through Watchtower WP 3/38*
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/38* 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 3/38*, late in the day. Next is Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a.
5. Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a to Watchtower WP 3/38*
Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a → Watchtower WP 3/38* is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 3/38* to Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro
Watchtower WP 3/38* → Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro to back through Watchtower WP 3/38*
Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro → back through Watchtower WP 3/38* is 68 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 3/38* to Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a
back through Watchtower WP 3/38* → Limessection between watchtowers WP 1/88 a is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.