Signaltower Johannisberg and Watchtowers WP 4/59 to 4/71 including the

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Signaltower Johannisberg

   On a hill above Bad Nauheim, the Johannisberg, the Romans built a signal tower that could communicate with the frontier forts of the Wetterau, the fertile plain that bulges north of Frankfurt and was protected by a long loop of the Limes. The site, with a later medieval chapel and a modern observation tower, gives wide views over the plain and the Taunus hills, and it is part of the Upper German-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing. On a clear day you can see the towers of Frankfurt on the horizon.

   Read the complete Signaltower Johannisberg write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Signaltower Johannisberg is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 4/40 to 4/44 including the.

2. 2. Watchtowers WP 4/40 to 4/44 including the

   The Taunus ridge rises north of Frankfurt like a long, forested wall, and the Romans did not try to cross it. Their frontier line swung around its northern slopes, through the Wetterau, and then down toward the Main, and this section lies near Langgöns, close to the valley of the Lahn and a short ride from Giessen. The five towers of the stretch numbered 4/40 to 4/44 followed the ridge lines in a sequence that let each one see the next, and a signal tower on the Johannisberg, a modest hill, linked them. Of all these only footings and mounds remain, but the surveying logic is easy to read once you stand on high ground and look toward the next rise.

   Read the complete Watchtowers WP 4/40 to 4/44 including the write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Watchtowers WP 4/40 to 4/44 including the comes up about 20 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 4/59 to 4/71 including the.

3. 3. Watchtowers WP 4/59 to 4/71 including the

   The Wetterau is a broad, fertile basin north of Frankfurt, one of the best farming landscapes in Hesse, and the Romans fenced it with a frontier that ran in a wide arc through the grain fields. This group of watchtowers, with its numbers running from 4/59 to 4/71, lies near Hungen and Lich on the eastern side, where the plain begins to rise toward the Vogelsberg. Close by stands the Eichkopf fortlet, and a few kilometres to the north the ruins of the big fort at Arnsburg lie beside the remains of a Cistercian abbey, a double dose of history under tall trees.

   Read the complete Watchtowers WP 4/59 to 4/71 including the write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 49 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 4/59 to 4/71 including the. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 4/40 to 4/44 including the.

4. 4. back through Watchtowers WP 4/40 to 4/44 including the

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Watchtowers WP 4/40 to 4/44 including the 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 4/40 to 4/44 including the, late in the day. Next is Signaltower Johannisberg.

5. 5. Signaltower Johannisberg

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Signaltower Johannisberg write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Signaltower Johannisberg. That is the ride.