Why this ride
A 301 km round trip from Idstein - roughly 3 h 31 in the saddle. It goes by way of Watchtower WP 4/39*, Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the and back through Watchtower WP 4/39*.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtower SP 3/5* and Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 301 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 31
- 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. Watchtower SP 3/5*
Taunusstein did not exist as a town until 1971, when ten villages on the high plateau north of Wiesbaden were merged into one municipality, and so it has no old centre, just a cluster of former villages, each with its church, its half-timbered houses and its fields. One of them, Wehen, gave its name to the football club SV Wehen Wiesbaden, which started here before moving to the city. The Roman frontier ran along the edge of this plateau, and watchtower SP 3/5, close to the line, is one of the many small sites that mark it in the forest between Taunusstein and Idstein.
Read the complete Watchtower SP 3/5* write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower SP 3/5* is where the day begins. Next is Watchtower WP 4/39*.
2. Watchtower WP 4/39*
The Wetterau is one of the richest farming plains in Germany, a broad, fertile basin north of Frankfurt where loess soil lies deep over old river gravel, and wheat and sugar beet grow in enormous fields. At its edge the Taunus hills rise to the south and west, and the Roman Limes ran along their northern slope, taking in the whole plain as a deliberately protected frontier region. Watchtower 4/39 stands in this open country near Butzbach, and the number marks one of the many posts that kept watch over fields that were, even then, valuable enough to defend.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 4/39* write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 4/39* comes up about 89 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the.
3. Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the
The Main river is where the Roman frontier changes character. Coming down from the north, the Limes runs in a long arc through the Wetterau and then meets the river near Großkrotzenburg, and from there the Romans used the Main itself as the boundary, with towers and forts strung along its bank. The numbers 5/13 and 5/14 belong to that river line, and a fort and its civilian settlement sit close by. On the ground, expect a marker, a low rise and a view down toward the water rather than anything dramatic.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 150 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the. Next is back through Watchtower WP 4/39*.
4. back through Watchtower WP 4/39*
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 4/39* 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 4/39*, late in the day. Next is Watchtower SP 3/5*.
5. Watchtower SP 3/5*
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower SP 3/5* write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Watchtower SP 3/5*. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtower SP 3/5* to Watchtower WP 4/39*
Watchtower SP 3/5* → Watchtower WP 4/39* is 89 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 4/39* to Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the
Watchtower WP 4/39* → Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the to back through Watchtower WP 4/39*
Watchtowers WP 5/13 to 5/14 including the → back through Watchtower WP 4/39* is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 4/39* to Watchtower SP 3/5*
back through Watchtower WP 4/39* → Watchtower SP 3/5* is 90 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.